How Elon Musk redefined power

In 2025, Elon Musk took on an extraordinary role inside Washington, leading something called the Department of Government Efficiency - or Doge.

What followed was a radical experiment: an attempt to remake the machinery of the state using the logic of Silicon Valley and the language of memes.

To understand that moment, it helps to understand Musk himself. This is a figure shaped by his upbringing in apartheid South Africa and by coming of age alongside the early internet. He built his reputation by disrupting entire industries -  even extending his reach beyond Earth -  by moving fast, ignoring convention, and pushing his teams to extremes.

So what happens when you apply that philosophy to the state?

Tanjil Rashid is joined by Ben Tarnoff and Quinn Slobodian.

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