Elon Musk Allies Take Over Federal Agency, Raising Alarm Among Experts

A group of Elon Musk’s close associates has taken control of key positions within the Office of Personnel Management (OPM), a move that has unsettled experts and government officials, with one comparing it to tactics used by Stalin, WIRED Magazine reports. The OPM, which functions as the human resources department for the entire federal workforce, is now being led by individuals with deep connections to Musk and the tech industry.

While Trump has nominated Scott Kupor, a managing partner at Andreessen Horowitz, to officially head the agency, a wave of appointees with ties to Musk has already been installed, reportedly with the goal of cutting staff and reshaping the agency.

Among the figures now embedded in OPM are Amanda Scales, a former executive at Musk’s xAI company, who has been appointed chief of staff, and Riccardo Biasini, previously involved in Musk’s experimental “Vegas Loop” tunnel project, now serving as a senior adviser.

Additionally, two young software engineers have been brought on board—one from Musk’s Neuralink brain implant company and another from Palantir, the data analytics firm owned by longtime Musk ally and conservative megadonor Peter Thiel.

Experts warn that Trump could use this influx of tech talent to advance his long-held plan to reclassify federal workers and strip them of job protections under the controversial Schedule F initiative. “I think on the tech side, the concern is potentially the use of AI to try and engage in large-scale searches of people’s job descriptions to try and identify who would be identified for Schedule F reclassification,” said Don Moynihan, a public policy professor at the University of Michigan.

Musk, who helped finance Trump’s voter outreach efforts last year, has no formal government position but leads the administration’s “Department of Government Efficiency” task force, which aims to find ways to slash federal programs. Reports suggest that Musk had been lobbying for an office in the West Wing, but Trump’s Chief of Staff, Susie Wiles, reportedly blocked the request.

The billionaire has also faced fresh controversy after making a gesture at Trump’s inauguration rally that many have compared to a Nazi salute. Musk has strongly denied any such intent, calling the allegations “absurd.”

As Musk’s influence over government agencies grows, concerns continue to mount about the potential restructuring of the federal workforce and the extent to which his vision for efficiency aligns with the preservation of democratic institutions. With Musk’s allies firmly positioned in OPM, critics warn that a major overhaul of federal staffing could be imminent.