The White House stated that Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla, is not the head of the Office of Government Efficiency (DOGE), which was established during the Trump administration. This has shifted attention to Steve Davies, CEO of The Boring Company, a tunnel excavation company owned by Musk, who is executing the missions of DOGE. The New York Times (NYT) reported on the 18th (local time) that Davies, Musk's right-hand man, is presumed to be the DOGE administrator.
Davies, an aerospace engineer, is a close associate of Musk for over 20 years. He earned a master's degree in aerospace engineering and particle physics from Stanford University, and after working at a startup, he joined SpaceX in 2003, forming a bond with Musk.
Davies is analyzed as embodying the 'Musk style.' He faithfully executes Musk's orders to demand drastic expense reductions that seem impossible and is known for working long hours. Like Musk, he enjoys multitasking and reportedly eats while handling work over the phone. Bloomberg also reported that Davies resided in a temporary bedroom in the Twitter San Francisco office for two months in early 2022 with his newborn child and wife, as requested by Musk after Musk's acquisition of Twitter.
Davies has led expense reductions not only at The Boring Company but also at Musk-owned SpaceX and X (formerly Twitter). When Musk acquired Twitter in 2022, Davies was deeply involved in various aspects of the company, including products, purchasing, and talent. In particular, an anecdote circulates about how he focused on expense savings to the extent that he questioned how much Twitter was paying for cleaning services at its Atlanta data center. The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported on the 10th, quoting a former Twitter employee, that it was typical of Davies to rush to reduce Twitter's expenditures, press suppliers, eliminate top executives, and cut the workforce.
Additionally, in the biography 'Elon Musk' written by author Ashley Vance, there is a passage stating that Musk instructed Davies to seek a way to create a $120,000 part for $5,000. While most considered it impossible at the time, Davies found a solution to substitute it with a $3,900 part within a few months.
Therefore, it is evaluated that Davies' value system, which considers efficiency the highest virtue, is being applied to DOGE as well. Last December, Musk sent Davies to DOGE to help with preparations related to recruiting staff after Donald Trump, then president-elect of the United States, officially announced the establishment of DOGE. WSJ stated that "Steve is the driving force behind DOGE's approach to solving problems quickly, adhering to Musk's methodology," adding that he implements the drive for expense reduction at DOGE.
Meanwhile, regarding the lawsuit raised by the Democrats to block Musk and the DOGE team's access to government systems, White House Chief of Staff Joshua Fisher stated on the 17th that "Musk is not the DOGE administrator and does not have actual authority to make government decisions directly." Fisher added that Musk is "merely an office staff member at the White House, not a DOGE employee."