White House presents boss: Musk does not have the say at Doge

Tech billionaire Musk himself likes to cultivate the image that he is the one who sets the pace at Doge. But that is not the case, the White House assures. Instead, career civil servant Amy Gleason is to head the committee. It is quite possible that this is just to get Musk out of the legal line of fire.

After a long period of uncertainty about the official leadership of the so-called Department of Government Efficiency, the White House has named a name - and it is not Elon Musk. "So Amy Gleason has been the head of Doge for some time," spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt confirmed corresponding media reports from the previous day. She was not sure about the exact time frame - "I think for a few weeks, maybe a month." Gleason is a career civil servant, explained Leavitt.

The spokeswoman expressed surprise at the high level of interest in the appointment. When asked why even Doge employees were apparently not informed of the appointment until Tuesday, Leavitt replied that they were "obviously not in the know" and claimed: "Everyone knew." There are "far more important issues in the world than the question of who is running Doge," Leavitt added. "But for some reason the press is so obsessed with it that you keep asking about it."

However, it is not surprising that the leadership of the body is in such high focus. Shortly after his election in November, US President Donald Trump entrusted tech billionaire Elon Musk with cutting government spending and explicitly announced: "I am pleased to announce that the great Elon Musk (...) will lead the Department of Government Efficiency (Doge)."

Musk himself cultivates the image that he has the final say at Doge. With the committee, the richest person in the world, according to estimates, has been exerting considerable influence on the work of numerous US authorities for weeks. In return, he was apparently granted extensive powers - including mass layoffs, the legality of which is questionable. Doge and thus Musk's role are now the subject of several lawsuits. It is quite possible that the White House is trying to get him out of the legal firing line.

Musk had generously supported Trump financially during the election campaign. The Republican had originally explicitly defined the multi-billionaire's role in connection with the committee as outside the government. Shortly after his swearing-in, Trump elevated him to "special government employee" - a status that is actually associated with strict restrictions and ethics rules. As CEO of Tesla, SpaceX and X, Musk has far-reaching economic self-interests.