FROM THE OUTSIDE | Musk and his role

The exact role that billionaire Elon Musk and his subordinates play in the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) is both a fact and a mystery.

It is a fact that the American billionaire, who was born and educated in apartheid-era South Africa, obtained Canadian citizenship at the age of 18 through his mother’s nationality. In 2002, he acquired U.S. citizenship after working there since 1997—reportedly due to pressure from his business partners.

As the founder of companies like Tesla, recognized for its electric vehicles, and X, a social network, he is acknowledged as an innovator in multiple roles. At present, he holds the title of the world’s wealthiest man.

However, he is also seen as an extreme right-wing figure who has quickly gained considerable influence in the U.S. government due to his close ties with President Donald Trump. Reports suggest that Musk invested over $250 million in Trump propaganda during the election campaign.

In return, Trump appointed him —by executive order—to lead the Department of Government Efficiency, with a mandate ending in July 2026. The goal is to “reduce unnecessary spending and eliminate unnecessary regulations.” However, according to the executive order signed by Trump, the official purpose is to “modernize federal technology and software to maximize government efficiency and productivity.”

However, Musk appears to wield significantly more power and authority than those descriptions suggest. His inspectors, accountants, and supervisors (or whatever their titles might be) have requested and obtained confidential information from the Treasury Department’s payment system. They have also managed to suspend or even terminate security personnel at the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) after those personnel refused to grant them access to internal organizational information—an agency that, according to Musk, could be dissolved as early as Monday morning.

This happens simultaneously as Musk’s companies enter into business agreements worth hundreds of millions with the U.S. government.

Currently, The New York Times reported, “it is unclear whether the team led by Musk, the world’s richest man, has blocked any payments since gaining access to the system.”

On Sunday, however, Musk, who is also the owner of the social network X, posted a message stating that he had already identified “fraudulent payments” amounting to over one billion dollars. The credibility of this claim remains questionable.

In any case, DOGE appears more as a team within the Trump administration that serves the president, rather than as a government department that represents the entire state.

Some argue that it does the “dirty work” for the Trump administration. Who can say? Perhaps Musk should not be seen merely as a willing tool of the government, but rather, as his critics suggest, an unelected “co-president” of the United States.