What does Elon Musk get out of remaking the government?

In Washington these days, Elon Musk seems to be everywhere.

In the 15 days Donald Trump has been back in the White House, Musk and his Department of Government Efficiency have been moving to change every corner of the federal government.

The billionaire entrepreneur and his team have gained access to a sensitive government payment system in the Treasury Department.

They're pushing to drastically reduce the number of federal employees. How did the world's richest man come to have such a big role in the federal government?

And why does he want it?

For sponsor-free episodes of Consider This, sign up for Consider This+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org

Email us at [email protected]

See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.

NPR Privacy Policy