Elon Musk mulls turning Trump government into an ‘Apple store-like experience’
ByTuhin Das Mahapatra
Mar 28, 2025 09:34 AM IST
Elon Musk and DOGE aim to modernize the U.S. government by streamlining operations and reducing inefficiencies.
Elon Musk and his DOGE are planning to modernize the U.S. government under Donald Trump by streamlining operations and reducing inefficiencies, like “Apple store-like experience.”
Elon Musk and DOGE's focus includes overhauling outdated processes and improving the retirement paperwork system, ensuring no negative impact on Social Security benefits.(Fox News)
Elon Musk and DOGE's focus includes overhauling outdated processes and improving the retirement paperwork system, ensuring no negative impact on Social Security benefits.(Fox News)
While joint sitting down with Fox News's Bret Baier, Musk and seven propellers in DOGE discussed their goals to overhaul outdated federal processes and eliminate waste, fraud, and abuse.
Joe Gebbia, co-founder of Airbnb and a key DOGE contributor, recalled his reaction upon learning about the underground limestone mine in Pennsylvania, which dates back to the 1950s. “I loved the challenge, so I jumped on board,” Gebbia said.
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“And it turns out there is actually a mine in Pennsylvania that houses every paper document for the government retirement process. The cave has 22,000 filing cabinets stacked 10 high to house 400 million pieces of paper.”
Through digital transformation, he and his team hope to reduce the months-long retirement process to days. “So we really believe that government can have an Apple store-like experience,” he added. “Beautifully designed, great user experience, modern systems.”
Musk explains how to resolve retirement delays
Musk explained that DOGE discovered the mine while working on efforts to encourage voluntary retirements among federal employees. “They said most you could do is 8,000 a month. And even under normal circumstances, it can take six to nine months just to have your retirement paperwork processed. And they often get the calculations wrong,” he said.
“And so like, 'Why would it take so long to retire?' And they're like, 'Because of the mine.' And you're like, 'What do you mean the mine, what does a mine got to do with retiring?'”
The Tesla boss assured Americans that their plans would not negatively impact Social Security benefits. “No, in fact, what we're doing will help with their benefits,” he said. “Legitimate people, as a result of the work of DOGE, will receive more Social Security, not less.”
“Want to emphasize that. As a result of the work of DOGE, legitimate recipients of Social Security will receive more money not less money. And let the record show that I said this and it will be proven out to be true. Let's check back on this in the future.”
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However, Musk flagged one problem: “A very sort of thorny problem, a tough problem really, it's kind of like painful homework frankly, is reconciling all the government databases to eliminate the waste and fraud.”
“These databases don't talk to each other and that's really the source of - that's the biggest vulnerability for fraud - the fact that these databases don't talk to each other.”
Digital Transformation
Elon Musk
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