[A Fork in the Road: Elon Musk Brings Twitter Playbook to Federal Government
In November 2022, employees at Twitter received an email with the subject line “A fork in the road” offering an ultimatum: commit to “exceptional performance” or leave the company. Just a few days ago, the same subject line appeared in a memo to federal government employees, with a nearly identical choice: commit to “excellence” or resign and take a buyout.
The strikingly similar language suggests that Elon Musk, who has taken control of the federal government, is bringing his Twitter takeover playbook to the federal government. Musk, a top advisor to President Donald Trump, has been leading the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) and played a key role in the rollout of the federal government buyouts.
The plan has raised questions about whether America’s government could rapidly slash staff like a tech company, and whether it will suffer the same consequences as Twitter, including broken systems and a sharp decline in value.
One expert, Lara Cohen, who left Twitter after Musk’s takeover as global head of marketing and partners, compared the situation to Twitter’s experience, saying that the freeze in all federal spending “feels eerily familiar.” She warned that the move could “hurt people beyond repair.”
Trump has long talked about downsizing the federal government, and Musk has been an integral part of the rollout of the buyouts. However, some experts warn that government is not business, and that the formula for success in government is different from that in business.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt sidestepped a question about Musk’s involvement in the buyout, instead saying that his work at DOGE has been “incredibly productive.”
Musk himself has claimed that “downsizing government is the most popular issue by far!” and referenced a Reuters/Ipsos poll that shows support for ending government “diversity, equity and inclusion” initiatives.
However, the same tactics that Musk used at Twitter have had devastating consequences, including chaos, layoffs, and a sharp decline in value. Many users and advertisers have fled the platform, and the company has been sued by landlords and vendors.
Despite this, Musk has become tens of billions of additional dollars richer, on the back of expectations that his connection to Trump will benefit his empire of companies. For that reason, he may have little incentive to change his employment and layoff strategy in his new role at DOGE.
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