Wozniak expressed discomfort with tech leaders like Musk taking direct roles in government decision-making.
Musk's leadership of DOGE has sparked controversy, especially his strict efficiency-driven policies.
His mass email demanding federal employees list completed tasks or face termination has divided public opinion.
Steve Wozniak, a co-founder of Apple, has criticised Elon Musk for his increasing power in Donald Trump’s administration, especially his position as head of DOGE, or the Department of Government Spending. Speaking at the Talent Arena developers fair in Barcelona on March 4, he made reference to the risks of tech giants getting political power without directly mentioning Elon Musk by name. He made the point that successful businesses do not always equate to good governance.
SurveyWozniak warns against tech billionaires in politics
He stated that the businesses have political ties, but he is uncomfortable with tech leaders who have direct influence over government policies. “Technology companies are huge… they have to have some political involvement,” he said. “But actually taking a direct role because they’ve made it big in technology—I don’t like that at all.”
Wozniak added, “When you run a business, you look around and seek consensus. I don’t see that happening with Elon Musk… You don’t just say, Everything is out, start over.”
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This comes after Elon Musk was appointed as the head of DOGE and implemented significant changes to reduce inefficiencies in government spending. He also sent a mass email to federal employees, asking them to submit a list of five completed tasks from the previous week or risk termination. Musk warned those who did not respond that their silence would be interpreted as resignation.
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This approach has sparked a debate, with supporters praising his efforts to address the issues and critics warning about the troubling example of corporate ruthlessness creeping into public service.
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Ashish Singh
Ashish Singh is the Chief Copy Editor at Digit. He's been wrangling tech jargon since 2020 (Times Internet, Jagran English '22). When not policing commas, he's likely fueling his gadget habit with coffee, strategising his next virtual race, or plotting a road trip to test the latest in-car tech. He speaks fluent Geek. View Full Profile
