Fork in the road: Musk’s email to the US Department of Personnel Management after the Trump-Pulse-Macks merger
The news shows how much Musk has embedded himself in Trump and how close he is to his tried-and-true formula from both Musk and Tesla.
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 email states that employees who strive for excellence in their work should be in the federal workforce. “Employees will be subject to enhanced standards of suitability and conduct as we move forward.”
The news came as Musk’s people took over the US Office of Personnel Management, which works with the federal workforce. Elon Musk did not immediately respond to a request for comment from WIRED. The Office of Personnel Management also did not respond to a request for comment.
Musk and his advisors, including Trump’s newly appointed AI and crypto czar David Sacks, used a remarkably similar strategy at Twitter. Half of the work force was laid off about a week after the acquisition was complete. Sacks helped advise him on which teams and people would be cut.
About two weeks later, remaining employees received an email with the subject line “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. This meant working long hours at 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. Anyone who failed to do so by the following day would receive three months severance, Musk said. Thousands of Twitter employees would later sue, arguing that they were not paid their full severance. Musk was able to get the suit thrown out.
We are all shaking our heads in disbelief and having a hard time figuring out how familiar this is. “Except, the federal government and its employees have specific laws in terms of spending, hiring, and firing.”
Did Musk Sleep at the DOGE Headquarters in Washington, D.C. After the 9/11 War Room, he Shared Tweets with Calcacanis
After the acquisition was complete, Musk began sleeping at the Twitter offices in San Francisco. Employees saw him pacing the floor and being escorted to the bathroom by his security guards. He tried to get the bathroom next to his office installed so he wouldn’t have to cross the floor during his stays.
“Btw, Parag is still on a ten day vacation in Hawaii,” Musk told Calacanis. “No reason to cut it short … in your first tour as ceo (!!!),” Calcanis responded, presumably with a hint of sarcasm. He should not be in a war room right now. Musk then said: “Does doing occasional zoom calls while drinking fruity cocktails at the Four Seasons count?” The messages were revealed as part of the discovery in the lawsuit.
WIRED has learned that Musk told multiple people that he slept at the DOGE headquarters in Washington, DC, because he was trying to exercise control over the federal government. DOGE is based out of the Eisenhower Executive Office Building, just steps from the White House.
At the dinner hosted by the Alfalfa Club last week, Musk told associates that he was going to spend the night in the White House itself in the Lincoln Bedroom.
Steve Davis, Musk’s lieutenant and CEO of the Boring Company was temporarily moved into the HQ with his wife and newborn baby.