Though he officially left the U.S. government in May, Steve Davis — Elon Musk’s low-flying former top lieutenant at the Department of Government Efficiency — continues to wield influence at DOGE, according to the WSJ. The outlet says Davis, who is a longtime Musk ally and insider, regularly gives directions to current DOGE officials and has privately dismissed his departure as “fake news.”
TechCrunch reached out earlier Wednesday to The Boring Company, Musk’s tunneling company where Davis has held the president role, for comment.
This behind-the-scenes involvement suggests that Davis — who is reportedly so frugal that he has sometimes signed off on costs as low as a few hundred dollars, and so loyal to Musk that he reportedly slept in the offices of X with his wife and newborn child after Musk took over the social media platform — remains more engaged than outsiders might realize.
Given Musk’s exit and his ongoing feud with President Trump, Davis’s influence has created internal tension, adds the Journal, with staffers reportedly facing loyalty tests between Trump and Musk in closed meetings as the department battles White House efforts to shrink its power.
The outlet cites current and former officials who say Musk allies want to establish “DOGE 2.0,” focusing on government IT systems rather than job cuts, but adds there are critics who believe the team’s continued involvement serves primarily to benefit Musk’s business interests, including SpaceX, Tesla, and X.
