A Fork in the Road: Musk’s Disregarding The Public Accounts of Employee Spending in the U.S. Social Media Age
The U.S. federal government is already utilizing the social media platform to manage spending, even though President Donald Trump has only been in office a week. Musk did something like this when he took over the social media platform, attempting to dramatically reduce the number of government employees and make sure they are loyal to the president.
Earlier this week, the US Office of Personnel Management, which is already stacked with Musk lackeys, sent an email to federal workers titled “a fork in the road.”
“The federal workforce should be comprised of employees who are reliable, loyal, trustworthy, and who strive for excellence in their daily work,” reads the email, which was later published on the US Office of Personnel Management website. “Employees will be subject to enhanced standards of suitability and conduct as we move forward.”
The US Office of Personnel Management is a human resources department used for the federal workforce. Securing a reply from Musk, WIRED sent a request. The Office of Personnel Management also did not respond to a request for comment.
The strategy Musk and his team used at tweeter was remarkably similar to the one they used at the White House. Half the workforce was laid off by Musk after the acquisition was complete. Sacks helped advise him on which teams and people would be cut.
Remaining employees received an email with a subject line that said “A Fork in the Road.” Musk said that they would need to be “extremely hardcore” in order to realize his vision for Twitter 2.0. Working long hours meant high intensity. He noted that “only exceptional performance” would receive “a passing grade.” Employees were asked to opt into this vision via a web form. Musk said anyone who failed to do so by the next day would be given three months of pay. Thousands of employees would file a lawsuit and argue that they were not paid their full entitlements. Musk was able to get the suit thrown out.
“We are all shaking our heads in disbelief at how familiar this all feels,” says Yao Yue, a former principal engineer at Twitter. “Except, the federal government and its employees have specific laws in terms of spending, hiring, and firing.”
The Story of Musk: Sleeping on the Factory Floor with Ron Baron, CEO of the Boring Company, and a Secret Vacation with Parag Agrawal
During busy periods at the company, Musk slept on the factory floor. In an interview with Ron Baron, he claimed that it was his primary residence. The move was strategic because he wanted employees to see him. It is important because if the team thinks their leader is off somewhere having a good time and drinking Mai Tais on a tropical island, then they need to know that I am there.
After Musk became the biggest shareholder in March of 2022, there was a resurgence of the idea of a leader drinking cocktails on an island. In text messages to Calacanis, Musk stated that Parag Agrawal was on a 10-day vacation in Hawaii. Musk had been considering joining the board of directors, but he was growing frustrated with the other directors. He doubted the two could work together.
WIRED has learned that Musk has told people he is sleeping at the Department of Government Efficiency headquarters in Washington, DC, as he seeks to exercise control over the federal government. Just steps from the White House, the Eisenhower Executive Office Building houses the DOGE.
Musk told associates at an exclusive black-tie dinner last week that he had been invited to stay the night in the Lincoln Bedroom of the White House.
Musk’s lieutenant Steve Davis, CEO of the Boring Company, who has reportedly been recruiting staff to work at DOGE, also temporarily moved into Twitter HQ with his wife and newborn baby.
