How Elon Musk & Peter Thiel-aligned Inexperienced Tech Bros Took Over the Federal Government

Lambert here: Essentially a rewrite of Wired’s reporting (a bit more pointedly).

According to Wired, some operatives now embedded in DOGE are directly connected to [Peter] Thiel’s network. His Thiel Fellowship has been instrumental in recruiting ideological foot soldiers for this takeover, encouraging them to forgo traditional education in favor of libertarian, anti-government ventures. Now, they are in positions where they can shape government policy from within.

The situation isn’t just another case of regulatory capture—this is a “hostile takeover” of the federal government by “the richest man in the world,” Don Moynihan, a professor of public policy at the University of Michigan, told Wired.

Under normal circumstances, corporations influence government policy from the outside through lobbying and campaign donations. This is different. Musk and his allies aren’t just influencing the government—they are running it from the inside, with no public accountability, the site notes.

There are no clear plans to stop Musk’s takeover. Congressional oversight is limited because Trump’s executive order placed DOGE directly under the White House. Many officials who would typically resist Musk’s interference have already been removed or replaced by DOGE-aligned figures.