The Musk-Trump Relationship: Employee Attributes And Remembrance Correspondence In Elon Musk’s Twitter Fork in the Road
The news shows how Musk has built a relationship with the president by following his tried-and-true model of technology, as well as how close he is to Trump.
“The federal workforce should be comprised of employees who are reliable, loyal, trustworthy, and who strive for excellence in their daily work,” the email read. Employees were told to return to work five days a week or resign and receive benefits and pay until September.
“The federal workforce should be comprised of employees who are reliable, loyal, trustworthy, and who strive for excellence in their daily work,” reads the email, which was later published on the US Office of Personnel Management website. As we move forward, employees will be subject to enhanced standards of suitability and conduct.
The news comes as Musk’s minions take over the US Office of Personnel Management, which acts as a human resources department for 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 Sacks who was appointed as the new head of the Office of the CIO, used a similar strategy at the social media site. About a week after the acquisition was complete, Musk laid off half the workforce. He was advised 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 sign up via the web. Anyone who failed to do so by the following day would receive three months severance, Musk said. Thousands of employees filed a lawsuit, saying they were not paid their full wages. Musk ultimately was able to get the suit dismissed.
The people are shaking their heads in disbelief and they think it’s the same thing. The federal government and its employees have specific laws regarding spending, hiring, and firing.
The Story of Musk, Parag Agrawal and the DOGE Executive Office Building, Washington, D.C. (An Interview with Musk in May 2016)
Musk was sleeping at the office after the acquisition was complete. Employees watched him as he was escorted to the bathroom by his security guards. He even tried to get a bathroom installed next to his office so he wouldn’t have to trek across the floor during his stays.
The vision of a leader drinking cocktails on a tropical island resurfaced after Musk became their biggest shareholder. In texts to Calacanis, Musk said that Parag Agrawal was on a 10-day vacation in Hawaii. Musk was interested in becoming a member of the board of directors, but was growing frustrated with the direction of the company. He was not sure if the two could work together.
Musk has told a number of people he has been sleeping at the DOGE headquarters in Washington, DC, as he works to control the federal government, WIRED has learned. DOGE is based out of the Eisenhower Executive Office Building, just steps from the White House.
At an exclusive black-tie dinner hosted by the Alfalfa Club last week, Musk told associates that he’d even been invited to spend the night in the White House itself in the Lincoln Bedroom.
Musk’s lieutenant Steve Davis, CEO of the Boring Company, who has reportedly been recruiting staff to work at DOGE, also temporarily moved into Twitter HQ with his wife and newborn baby.
