- Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy are making plans for The Department of Government Efficiency.
- Several notable Silicon Valley figures are involved in plans for the department, per the Journal.
- Musk has said he wants to cut $2 trillion from the federal budget to make it more efficient.
Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy are starting to shape the Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, and they appear to be turning to Silicon Valley leaders for support.
Musk loyalists, including Boring Company President Steve Davis and private equity executive Antonio Gracias, are involved in planning the department, The Wall Street Journal reported. Both men also assisted Musk at various points during his takeover of Twitter, now X.
The report said notable Silicon Valley figures — including Palantir cofounder Joe Lonsdale, investor Marc Andreessen, hedge fund manager Bill Ackman, and former Uber CEO Travis Kalanick — are also involved in the department's early planning.
DOGE, a nod to the Dogecoin cryptocurrency based on a Shiba Inu dog meme, is also looking to recruit people for the department.
A post on the department's newly created X account on Thursday said: "We don't need more part-time idea generators. We need super high-IQ small-government revolutionaries willing to work 80+ hours per week on unglamorous cost-cutting."
"If that's you, DM this account with your CV. Elon & Vivek will review the top 1% of applicants," it continued.
DOGE, headed by Musk and Ramaswamy, is set to be an advisory group outside the government. Under current law, Congress must approve most budget changes, limiting DOGE's power.
Musk has said he wants to cut $2 trillion from the federal budget to make it more efficient — but it's still unclear how he plans to achieve this. The billionaire has said he plans to create a leaderboard displaying the "most insanely dumb" examples of government spending in an attempt to promote "maximum transparency" and allow the public to share feedback.
Musk said all the activities of DOGE would be published online in the name of transparency.
Representatives for Musk did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Business Insider, made outside normal working hours.