Overview

• Elon Musk, co-chair of the Department of Government Efficiency under President-elect Trump, stated he agrees with rivals Sam Altman and Jeff Bezos that he will not exploit his political influence for personal or business gain.
• Altman and Bezos, speaking at the New York Times DealBook Summit, expressed confidence that Musk would act ethically despite past tensions and public disputes with him.
• Observers have raised concerns about Musk’s potential to use his political role to harm competitors, citing his history of targeting critics on his social media platform, X.
• Musk’s response, shared on X, aligns with Altman’s statement that it would be ‘profoundly un-American’ to use political power to disadvantage rivals.
• The Department of Government Efficiency, which Musk co-leads, aims to cut federal spending by $2 trillion, a move that could impact government contracts and regulatory policies affecting major tech companies.