Elon Musk posted something on his X account with a picture. In that picture, there was a guy climbing up a utility pole, and all around him was a big, messy tangle of wires. It looked like he was trying to fix that chaotic mess of wires. Seeing this, Elon Musk said that fixing government computer systems is kind of like this tricky and complicated.
In his post, he wrote, “Fixing government computer systems feels like this.” What he meant was that just like untangling that jumbled pile of wires isn’t easy, sorting out the problems in government computer systems takes a lot of effort and smart thinking too. He wanted to show that it’s not a simple job and comes with a bunch of headaches and challenges.
What fixing government computer systems feels like pic.twitter.com/Up6lpAEJU5
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) March 11, 2025
Donald Trump and Elon Musk have taken several big steps since Trump became president again. Trump was sworn in as the President of the United States on January 20, 2025, and since then, Musk has been working closely with him to try and transform the government.
After Trump took office, Elon Musk was put in charge of a new initiative called the “Department of Government Efficiency” (DOGE). The goal of this is to cut government spending and make the system faster and cheaper.
Musk jumped into this job quickly. He and Trump are working together to break down old government structures and rebuild them, following a strategy they call “move fast and break things” a tech-world approach that Musk uses in his companies.
Under Musk’s leadership, DOGE has recommended shutting down several federal government programs. However, by February 2025, more than 20 government employees have quit their jobs because they didn’t like Musk’s methods.
Trump’s administration has also tried to give Tesla big government contracts. Musk has been given an office in the White House and an official government email, and he’s working with Trump to update government computer systems. They say fixing these old systems is like untangling a messy bundle of wires, and they want to make it simpler.
Musk has become one of Trump’s closest advisors. He meets with Trump in the Oval Office and gives his opinions on policies. Musk has supported Trump on issues like border security and deregulation (reducing laws). But these moves have caused a lot of controversy. Some people say Trump and Musk are only working for their own benefit. Musk has been given the status of a “special government employee,” which lets him work for the government for up to 130 days without having to fully disclose everything. Because of this, opposition parties have accused them of corruption.
The Trump-Musk duo wants to move quickly, but they’re facing challenges from the courts and protests from the public. Musk has also been promoting these efforts on X, posting in support of Trump and praising him.