TechFlow reported on November 14 that, according to Fortune, U.S. President-elect Donald Trump announced the appointment of billionaires Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy to lead a newly established "Department of Government Efficiency" (D.O.G.E.). The department's name is a nod to Dogecoin and will work alongside the White House Office of Management and Budget to drive structural reforms within the government.
Ann Skeet, Director of Leadership Ethics at Santa Clara University’s Markkula Center, pointed out that Musk’s business interests are in direct conflict with governmental responsibilities. Musk’s companies maintain close ties with the government: SpaceX holds over $4 billion in NASA lunar program contracts; Tesla benefits from government tax incentives and is subject to automotive safety regulations; social media platform X is under investigation by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC); and other ventures such as AI firm xAI, neurotechnology company Neuralink, and tunneling company Boring Company all intersect with federal regulation.
Richard Painter, ethics lawyer during the Bush administration and former White House counsel, stated that if DOGE operates as a government agency, Musk would need to divest his business interests or recuse himself from related matters—unless Trump grants a rare waiver. Automotive safety advocates expressed concern that efficiency reforms led by Musk could weaken regulatory bodies such as the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).
