Sources: the US Office of Personnel Management's highest ranks are now controlled by former employees of Elon Musk's companies, like xAI and the Boring Company

Sources tell WIRED that the OPM's top layers of management now include individuals linked to xAI, Neuralink, the Boring Company, and Palantir.

Wired 2025-01-29 Vittoria Elliott

Context & Ripple Effects

The reported staffing at OPM fits contemporaneous coverage of Musk bringing associates into government while pursuing workforce reductions, including a wider push to install friends and former employees in federal roles.

It also precedes related reports that OPM’s CIO role could become political and that CIOs across OPM and other agencies were replaced by Musk- and Thiel-aligned executives, making personnel leadership part of a broader contest over administrative control.

First-order effects

Former employees tied to xAI, Neuralink, the Boring Company, and Palantir gain a direct leadership foothold at OPM, concentrating influence over the agency’s top management layers.
OPM career staff and agency counterparts must operate under leaders whose professional networks are closely tied to a small set of technology companies.

Second-order effects

The staffing makes the proposed shift to politically removable agency CIOs more consequential: personnel and IT leadership could be aligned through the same political appointment model rather than operating as separate institutional checks.
Other technology firms seeking federal influence may face stronger incentives to cultivate relationships with the administration and to place trusted operators in government roles.

Third-order effects

If repeated across agencies, this pattern could blur the boundary between federal administrative capacity and the executive networks of politically connected technology firms, increasing scrutiny of conflicts, procurement access, and civil-service independence.
The later accounting of technology-industry associates in roles overseeing their companies suggests this is part of a broader state-mediated model of tech influence, though the durability of that model depends on staffing rules and oversight.

The trend: This is one data point in the expansion of state-mediated technology power, where politically aligned tech networks seek influence through the federal workforce as well as contracts and policy.

Discussion

@mmasnick Mike Masnick on bluesky
WTF — “graduated from high school in 2024, according to a mirrored copy of an online résumé and his high school's student magazine; he lists jobs as a camp counselor and a bicycle mechanic among his professional experiences, as well as a summer role at Neuralink...” [embedded p…
@david.noll.org David Noll on bluesky
i am confused. is our acting president right now russell vought or elon musk? — www.wired.com/story/elon-m...
@joshtpm Josh Marshall on bluesky
Not a great sign when Wired says it won't name at least two fo the people Musk has installed to run the Office of Personnel Management because they may be minors www.wired.com/story/elon-m...
@taniel @taniel on bluesky
So, um, one of the top people at OPM (Office of Personnel Management) just graduated from high school in 2024 — but he did have a summer role in an Elon company. www.wired.com/story/elon-m...
@shannonbond Shannon Bond on bluesky
“the highest ranks of OPM—essentially the HR function for the entire federal government—are now controlled by people w connections to Musk & the tech industry. Among them is a person who, according to an online résumé, was set to start college last fall.” www.wired.com/story/elo…
@dell Dell Cameron on bluesky
“This reminded me of the Soviet Stalinism of turning in your friends to the government.” — www.wired.com/story/elon-m... [image]
@dell Dell Cameron on bluesky
NEW: OPM — the US govt's HR department — is now being run exclusively by Big Tech lackies, mostly from Elon Musk companies. Reporting directly to the chief of staff is a kid who just graduated high school & was recently a camp counsellor before interning at Neuralink. — From @…
@sethabramson Seth Abramson on bluesky
The report PROOF issued two days ago is being picked up elsewhere now.
@telliotter Vittoria Elliott on bluesky
New from me: OPM, basically the government's HR, now includes people with backgrounds at Musk's companies at its highest levels. And while the takeover of USDS as DOGE has gotten a lot of scrutiny, the changes at OPM have been much much quieter. — @wired.com — www.wired.com/…
@tomgara Tom Gara on threads
Some really jaw dropping details in this great Wired piece on the Trump people placed at the top of the federal bureaucracy https://www.wired.com/... [image]
@jrhennessy James Hennessy on x
21-year-old smol bean tasked with cutting $4 trillion out of US budget [image]
@politicalmath PoIiMath on x
So... what actually happened with the Medicaid / SNAP pause? Seems like it was across a lot of states, which makes it seem like it's not a state problem. Was it a federal service problem? Do we even know yet? Most importantly, who is getting fired over this?
@helaineolen Helaine Olen on x
Hi @WIRED. If you're old enough to hold down a high-ranking full time job with the federal government, you are most certainly old enough to be named by the press.
@canderaid @canderaid on x
“who WIRED is not naming because of their ages” my dude they are senior government officials
@silvermanjacob Jacob Silverman on x
This reminds me of the Coalition Provisional Authority in Iraq, when 22 year old blue blood nepo cases were put in charge of Iraqi ministries.
@aquariusacquah Ken on x
unironically excited for a federal government that inherits the primary organizational model of sf: best described by its inhabitants as “warring fiefdoms of boy kings”
@timjhogan Tim Hogan on x
a 21-year-old and a 2024 high school graduate are currently running OPM
@nukestrat Hans Kristensen on x
The United States is currently experience what amounts to a private business takeover of the government. People are being purged, loyalists positioned, rules and norms bulldozed. “Elon Musk Lackeys Have Taken Over the Office of Personnel Management” https://www.wired.com/...
@davidgross_man David Grossman on x
He's really trying to do to America what he did to Twitter
@posting_forever @posting_forever on x
[image]
@river_is_nice River Page on x
“Not naming because of their age” is something you do for a 13 year old rape victim, not a 21 year old government employee.
@ericbrownzzz Eric Brown on x
this is what we did to Iraq in 2003. worked out fine.
@luke_metro @luke_metro on x
Age of consent discourse has evolved to not revealing the names of 20something y/o heads of government agencies on age related grounds
@bad_takes Brendan Karet on x
i am an accelerationist now. speed it up. let these racist children run the country into the ground until everyone is so upset that there's nationwide closed caskets
@cszabla @cszabla on x
starting to feel a little more like trump term one. an executive order that freaks out everyone about stopping relied on federal program because it was too vague. a 21yo and recent high school grad at the top of a major government department
@centristmadness @centristmadness on x
Wired magazine is keeping someone's identity a secret because they are 21, which is too young to be held accountable for anything apparently
@jessesingal Jesse Singal on x
What's going on is really bad and insane https://www.wired.com/...
@tysonbrody Tyson Brody on x
Ok but “random connected 24 year old with no experience in charge of people with real jobs” is actually the most normal republican part of the Trump admin
@_waleedshahid Waleed Shahid on x
“Sources tell WIRED that OPM's top layers of management now include individuals linked to xAI, Neuralink, the Boring Company, and Palantir. One expert found the takeover reminiscent of Stalin.” https://www.wired.com/...
@brendan_duke Brendan Duke on x
Hoo boy. [image]
@quantian1 @quantian1 on x
THEY RUN THE FUCKING OPM THEY AREN'T HIGH SCHOOLERS ARRESTED FOR SMELLING LIKE WEED JESUS FUCKING CHRIST
@neosovietposter Doctor Tom on x
They are legal fucking adults you name them now you fucking pussy
@matthewstoller Matt Stoller on x
Very strong ‘George W Bush puts a 20 year old Heritage kid in charge of the Iraqi stock market’ vibes except it's the U.S. government this time.
@mattbruenig Matt Bruenig on x
Not naming them because of their ages? These adults who are at the top of a government agency?!
@jessesingal Jesse Singal on x
2/ I think if you're mature enough to work for OPM it's okay for you to be named in a magazine article! Anyway I hope he was a good camp counselor. [image]
@richard_normal Richard on x
not naming them is baby brained idiocy. they are adults who are ostensibly in charge of a portion of the executive branch. be serious.
r/Foodforthought r on reddit
Elon Musk Lackeys Have Taken Over the Office of Personnel Management
r/EnoughMuskSpam r on reddit
Elon Musk Lackeys Have Taken Over the Office of Personnel Management, a ‘takeover reminiscent of Stalin’
r/EnoughMuskSpam r on reddit
Elon Musk Is Running the Twitter Playbook on the Federal Government
r/fednews r on reddit
An 18 Year Old is Running OPM
r/centrist r on reddit
Elon Musk Lackeys Have Taken Over the Office of Personnel Management
r/politics r on reddit
Elon Musk Lackeys Have Taken Over the Office of Personnel Management
@quinnypig.com Corey Quinn on bluesky
“It's like a breath of fresh, productive air since we can do actual work instead of taking turns shaking our keys to distract him from breaking something expensive,” remarked one Musk company employee. [embedded post]
@mypowergrows @mypowergrows on bluesky
I wish the @nytimes.com reporters who wrote this (and who are apparently not on bsky) would've spared a line or two for the obvious illegality of most of these directives. — www.nytimes.com/2025/01/29/u...
@teddyschleifer Teddy Schleifer on x
NEW: Elon Musk's fingerprints are all over these controversial memos from the Office of Personnel Management. In fact, Musk showed up at OPM's offices on Friday demanding a list of employees. And OPM is led by TONS of Elon's aides. Exclusive details at the link in reply.

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