Billionaire retweets directly about government employee: 'Gravy train is over'
Just last week, we reported that the Musk – Ramaswamy team had started targeting 5 days in the office as part of an attempt to cut US government costs by US $2 trillion. Just days later, things have gotten personal.
As a co-director of President-elect Donald Trump’s newly formed Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), Musk has quickly taken to X (formerly Twitter) to spotlight what he perceives as wasteful government practices. With a massive following of 205 million users, Musk has publicly criticized specific agencies and individuals, igniting widespread debate and backlash.
The Tesla CEO has shifted from critiquing government departments to targeting individual federal employees. His repost of a comment about Ashley Thomas, a director of climate diversification at the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation, labeled her position as a "fake job." The post, viewed over 32 million times, unleashed a torrent of online ridicule and memes from Musk's followers, including comments like, “Sorry Ashley Thomas, gravy train is over.”
Read more: Musk, Ramaswamy call for 5-day return to office for US federal employees
Musk, along with biotech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, was appointed by Trump to lead DOGE—a name that coincidentally matches a cryptocurrency Musk has promoted. Their mission? Drastically reduce government spending, cut regulations, and streamline federal agencies. In a Wall Street Journal editorial, the duo laid out their vision for significant cuts in the federal workforce, which includes encouraging a return to pre-pandemic norms with mandatory in-office work for federal employees.
"If federal employees don’t want to show up, taxpayers shouldn’t have to pay for the privilege of remote work," they wrote. The five-day in-office policy is expected to result in voluntary departures from the federal workforce, aligning with their goal of reducing bureaucracy. "Requiring employees to return to the office will naturally lead to workforce reductions we welcome," they argued.
The mandate has drawn comparisons to Musk's management style at Tesla and X, where he demanded employees work on-site or resign. Similar policies at these companies reportedly led to significant staff reductions, a strategy Musk and Ramaswamy seem poised to replicate within the federal government.
Read more: UAW files charges against Trump, Musk for advocating illegal firing of striking workers
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Musk’s public criticisms of individuals are not new. In 2021, he targeted Mary “Missy” Cummings, an academic who had been critical of Tesla’s driver-assistance technology. After acquiring Twitter, he also accused Yoel Roth, the platform’s former head of trust and safety, of inappropriate views—a claim that led to death threats against Roth and forced him to move temporarily for safety.
This week, Musk’s online posts included not only Thomas but also Alexis Pelosi, a senior climate adviser at the Department of Housing and Urban Development and a relative of California Representative Nancy Pelosi. Some of his targets, however, are no longer employed by the federal government, as in the case of an Energy Department official who left her position in August.
Critics argue that Musk's tactics create a hostile work environment for federal employees. Everett Kelley, president of the American Federation of Government Employees, denounced Musk’s actions to the Associated Press, saying they foster fear and discourage employees from speaking out. Kelley also highlighted the broader issue of federal contracting costs, which dwarf civilian workforce expenses.
“We want to help clean up government waste too,” said Kelley, a veteran himself. “But Musk is targeting the wrong group.”
Thomas, who became the subject of Musk’s viral post, has a robust academic and professional background. With degrees from MIT and Oxford, she has worked on innovative climate solutions like water extraction technology for arid regions. She joined her federal agency in 2023, earning $172,075 annually. An agency official defended her role, emphasizing its technical complexity and strategic value in addressing extreme weather and infrastructure challenges.
DOGE’s agenda extends beyond workforce reductions. Musk and Ramaswamy aim to limit overregulation and simplify government functions. By downsizing agencies, they believe they can eliminate unnecessary rules and improve oversight. Recent Supreme Court rulings that restrict federal regulatory powers bolster their legal foundation for these reforms.
Their broader vision, as outlined in their editorial, emphasizes restoring government accountability. “Today, unelected civil servants make critical decisions, often from the comfort of their homes. That isn’t how government should function,” they argued in the Wall Street Journal .
“I don’t think they’re even remotely qualified to perform those duties,” Kelley said to the AP. “That’s my main concern.”
If you fancy joining the DOGE team, they are hiring: “Super high-IQ small-government revolutionaries willing to work 80+ hours per week on unglamorous cost-cutting,” reads the ad on X.
Photo: JD Lasica from Pleasanton, CA, US. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license.