Protest against action

Wave of layoffs in Elon Musk’s efficiency office

"No one has elected Elon Musk": Protest outside the headquarters of Musk's space company SpaceX in Washington D.C.(Bild: APA/AFP/JIM WATSON)

There is resistance to the tech billionaire's actions in the government efficiency department run by Elon Musk. In protest against cuts at US authorities, 21 employees have now resigned.

They will not use their skills as technology experts "to compromise core government systems, put Americans' sensitive data at risk or dismantle critical public services", according to a letter from data scientists, product managers, developers and IT department heads published on Tuesday.

Elon Musk has arrived at the center of power. He has now also been invited to a cabinet meeting. It remains to be seen whether he will be back with son X to see US President Donald Trump.(Bild: APA/AFP/Jim WATSON)

Before President Donald Trump's election victory, the employees belonged to an office called the United States Digital Service (USDS). This was founded by President Barack Obama in 2014 as a central digital contact point for federal authorities. It was renamed under Trump and became the basis for the Doge department headed by the Tesla boss.

Fuss about Musk's "termination email"
This department has set itself the task of making savings. The US billionaire is setting a fast pace. Most recently, emails from Musk caused confusion in which he asked federal employees to provide evidence of their work or risk dismissal. Doge's measures initially led to the elimination of more than 20,000 jobs. There are 2.3 million people working for the federal government in the US.