Elon Musk rolls mechanics in Washington. President Donald Trump has given his department of government efficiency (DOGE) extensive access to state services. The richest man in the world now boasts on X, leaving the idea that he could not only scrutinize but also control the payments of the American Treasury. His sudden methods may have helped him succeed in space and the automobile. But Washington is a completely different universe whose codes he hardly knows.
In the United States, the discontent rises as much as the concern around the methods of the DOGE. Seized by civil servants’ unions, two federal judges temporarily blocked the protocols set up by the department of Elon Musk. Tech entrepreneurs, seasoned policies … In the shadows, other characters strengthen their positions around this new administration. Dive into this moving labyrinth with Olaf Groth, professor at the University of Berkeley, specialist in the digital economy and associated public policies, founder of the Think Tank Cambrian Futures and author of The ai generation (Pegasus, 2021).
L’Express: Many Tech CEOs are close to Donald Trump. Do they defend the same line as Elon Musk?
Olaf Groth: There are mainly two camps: Big Tech and Small Tech. Big Tech are the people who direct or invest in hyperscalers Well known: Google, Amazon, Microsoft… Small Tech sometimes earn billions of dollars, but they are less gigantic technological companies. The dynamism of the American ecosystem requires a balance between multinationals and start-ups that jostle them. Elon Musk is very rich, but he leads the charge in the camp of small technological companies, pleading for greater disruption thanks to entrepreneurial innovation. At the moment, he is probably the one Donald Trump has the most confidence, but that could change.
What tech entrepreneurs could compete with Musk at the White House?
Sam Altman, the Pioneer of AI, is a power rival of Elon Musk. The big CEOs of technology like Satya Nadella (Microsoft) or Sundar Pichai (Google) were more discreet, but they could also, in the future, be powerful rivals for Musk because Donald Trump needs them to compete with China. Elon Musk has no Washington experience. It’s his Achilles heel. Other CEOs in the technological sector know how to sail in the political sphere and understand the subtleties better than Elon Musk. They are very well advised, in particular Nadella, Pichai and Altman. I am not sure, on the other hand, that Elon Musk has around him close to the people he encourages to tell him his mistakes or to offer him better approaches. He is passionate, fiery, while the others are more thoughtful, measured and strategic in their communication.
Has the lack of experience of Elon Musk in Washington made him make mistakes or attracting powerful political enemies?
In recent years, he fought with the American stock market gendarme, the dry [NDLR : Securities and Exchange Commission]which is obviously a very important agency. Chosen by Donald Trump, Paul Atkins should soon take the reindeer. Despite this change of direction, Elon Musk would better act more cautiously with the dry. Howard Lungick, secretary of commerce, is another actor of the Trump administration to whom Elon Musk should pay attention.
The Commerce Department has a multitude of data and assets, and works on important subjects such as the Act Chips [NDLR : pour accroître la production de semi-conducteurs sur le sol américain] or intellectual property regulations and data. I think they have similar views of many subjects. He is in the interest of Musk to get along well with Lutnick. If Elon Musk plays the burned heads, underestimates the concerns of the population, the know-how of the professional elites within the government-because he considers them as distractions to his vision-or if his conflicts of interests him Consider, he could be called back to order by the president. And be far from power for the benefit of more measured rivals. It is also not impossible that Donald Trump uses musk like an electroshock, to impulse an in -depth overhaul of Washington, but then asks him to focus on other things, such as the extraction of rare earth In Ukraine, the reconstruction of Gaza or negotiations with Prime Minister Li Qiang in China.
Why do the American president and the richest man in the world need each other?
Donald Trump needs Elon Musk for several reasons. First of all, the latter helps him to seduce a large part of the men of generations Y and Z, who appreciate his image as a rich and prosperous innovator, who cuts short the Baratin with his posture and his “testosterone” speeches. Second, Musk tries to inject innovative AI tools into the government. The issues are extremely high, because it deals with many sensitive data, upsets protocols and dismantles processes and relations within the United States government and with its allies abroad. But it is not without promises. When abroad is promoting cutting-edge tools developed by these national industries, it is fashionable to use them yourself. Third, Musk can help Trump negotiate with China, because Tesla CEO has good relations with this country, where he has many commercial interests. It is also an interesting link with Ukraine, because it provides him with satellite services through Starlink, but did not give him the right to use Russia.
What prompted Elon Musk to get closer to this point of Washington?
Several things: he was disappointed by democrats and government institutions. He finds them hostile to his vision and his personality. He seems determined to correct this by working to transform the government. He is also religiously devoted to the exploration of Mars and the distant space, as well as the use and control of AI to propel us forward, two things that he judges for fate of humanity. He wants space and AI to be at the service of this great promise, and not only of a few large platforms, and he thinks that the Trump administration could contribute to the realization of this grandiose vision.
What impact will Elon Musk’s new political role will have on his activities?
There will certainly be an impact on its companies. Tesla’s action has climbed. Some believe that Tesla could benefit from lighter regulation around autonomous vehicles. But Elon Musk knows that people have to really trust his cars, so I’m not sure that is a strong motivation for him. He also has government contracts for Starlink and SpaceX. There will probably be conflicts of interest. It seems that he pushed the appointment of Troy Meink to the post of Secretary of State for the Air Force. This suggests a more marked interest in the administration for space. Finally, Musk could certainly benefit, like many other technological entrepreneurs, from a relaxation of labor regulations or that surrounding cryptocurrencies. But he is not as concerned about regulations as Big Tech. And if the latter had to be dismantled, he would not shed a tear. A clash between Elon Musk and Donald Trump could occur on a subject, in my opinion: electrification. Musk will certainly continue to plead in favor of this. However, the subject does not interest the American president at all – it is also a shame.
Could Elon Musk’s political stature harm his businesses?
Many tech workers, including high -value engineers, are rather left. Part of them could therefore not want to work in their businesses or feel less motivated by their postures. If it goes too far on certain national or international subjects and this leads to significant negative benefits for the population – for example in terms of social security or data surveillance; If its actions and those of the president generate inflation, some consumers may turn away from its products.
In December, Elon Musk demolished a Bipartisan budget agreement on X, sending more than 150 aggressive tweets in one day to make the Republicans back down. Will such an action be awarded the hostility of the Trump camp?
Donald Trump and Elon Musk use the same tactic: target Mars to at least reach the moon. They make major statements, threaten people, then reverse. This allows them, casually, to gain a lot of ground.
Is Elon Musk’s fortune an asset for Donald Trump?
Elon Musk has already donated $ 120 million to Donald Trump’s campaign. The latter is very good at rallying other billionaires. He is very good at using levers rather than money or, at least, not his money. What matters to Trump is not as much to be rich as it is powerful. But Elon Musk’s money helps him get things in motion and blow up some locks.
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