Elon Musk New York
Elon Musk at the inauguration of US President Donald Trump on January 20. Photo: NYT

For weeks, USDS employees have been living in fear. They have worked as IT staff for the US government since the time of former President Barack Obama.

While USDS and DOGE are essentially one and the same – renamed the US DOGE Exchange, USDS is currently just a vehicle for Elon Musk to recruit himself.

Many of DOGE’s members are young engineers from Silicon Valley who work at Musk’s companies. They are sent around federal agencies and have access to sensitive government systems, as well as information about payments and personnel.

According to Bloomberg, the contract cancellation letter was sent by the US DOGE Department to more than 10 people from February 14, citing the January 20 executive order of President Donald Trump.

“Due to restructuring and changes to USDS’ mission, USDS no longer requires your services,” a letter read.

Before Musk’s group came along, USDS provided IT services and other support to federal agencies. In 2024, when the Department of Education’s overhaul of its federal student aid portal became chaotic, USDS was the group that “quieted” the chaos.

The remaining employees were notified by the US DOGE Department to return to the office by April 15.

(According to Bloomberg)