In spite of Elon Musk and DOGE being underwater with voters, the billionaire is playing an increasingly central role in the Trump administration as he gains access to millions of Americans’ personal data and trade secrets. Groundwork Collaborative Executive Director Lindsay Owens published a new op-ed in Rolling Stone today on how Musk’s data grab and DOGE’s regulatory rollback are all an effort to benefit Musk’s business interests.
“Anyone who still views Musk’s project to be about improving government efficiency or modernizing government technology or eliminating waste, fraud, and abuse is not playing with a full deck. This is a land grab. Musk has seized nearly every major data repository in the federal government and may now access the Social Security numbers, employment records, banking information, and tax returns of the majority of Americans. If you are a veteran, use Medicare, or have applied for Social Security Disability Insurance, he may have a chunk of your medical history too.
“The value of this treasure trove of data is hard to calculate — but given Musk’s keen interest in amassing enough data to build an artificial intelligence empire with his AI platform, Grok, it is safe to assume he has a pretty good idea. It certainly exceeds the $300 million he spent to put Trump in office.”
Key excerpts are below. Email press@groundworkcollaborative.org to speak with Lindsay Owens about DOGE and Musk’s self-dealing.
EXCERPTS
“Musk and his DOGE boys now have access to the business and technology ideas of America’s best and brightest. They are thumbing through tens of millions of new business applications at the Small Business Administration in a terrifying game of Shark Tank in reverse. We can only assume the United States Patent and Trademark Office will be their next stop, if they are not there already.”
“Musk has also ransacked the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau where he’ll find detailed information on the future competitors of his new digital payment platform collaboration with Visa, X Money. Over at the Food and Drug Administration he’ll find immensely valuable information from clinical trials evaluating the safety and efficacy of medical devices, like those of the competitors to his new brain chip company, Neuralink.”
“Meanwhile, Musk is after larger and more lucrative federal contracts for his companies, Starlink, Space X, and Tesla. The fruits of his labor are already bearing: The Federal Aviation Administration announced this week that they’ll use Starlink to upgrade its IT systems. Further, he can axe the regulators tasked with keeping an eye on companies. To date, Musk has shut down the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and helped Trump fire labor law enforcers at the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and the National Labor Relations Board, both of which have investigated Musk’s companies for illegal hostility and harassment of their workers.”
“The Teapot Dome scandal was a wakeup call for policymakers, and they strengthened and passed a number of laws in its wake. Albert Fall became the first Cabinet secretary to go to prison. The Supreme Court ruled that Congress had the power to compel testimony and Congress strengthened the Federal Corrupt Practices Act, regulating campaign finance. Congress also gave the Ways and Means Committee the ability to obtain the tax records of any taxpayer, power they used to eventually secure the public release of Trump’s tax returns.”