Elon Musk was selected by Donald Trump to lead a commission focused on overhauling the federal bureaucracy, despite his initial unfamiliarity with government operations. During meetings at Mar-a-Lago, Musk, guided by conservative operatives, strategized to utilize the U.S. Digital Serviceâa unit established by Obamaâ to infiltrate and reform government technology practices. Rather than creating a formal commission, Musk aimed for rapid, direct influence, including addressing staffing levels and navigating regulatory frameworks, initiating actions even before Biden's presidency officially began.
Mr. Musk and his allies did not want to create a commission, as past budget hawks had done; they wanted direct, insider access to government systems.
The Musk team realized it could use the digital office, whose staff had been focused on helping agencies fix technology problems, to quickly penetrate the federal government.
Mr. Musk expressed impatience with warnings that the team would need a phalanx of lawyers to help with executive orders and regulations.
Around the time that Mr. Musk identified the unit as a key part of his strategy late last year, the Trump transition gained a key ally on the inside: Amy Gleason.
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