Elon Musk, recently appointed by US president-elect Donald Trump to head a new “Department of Government Efficiency”, would face several conflicts of interest as he takes on the new role, The Associated Press reported.
The AP report noted that every business headed by Musk, including Tesla, SpaceX, Neuralink, social media platform X, artificial intelligence startup xAI and even tunnel-building Boring company, has intersections with the federal US government.
And while mystery remains around how the ‘cost-cutter’ role will pan out — be it with Musk acting as a mere adviser to the Trump Administration or with his department being an actual government agency — the world’s richest man could now exert significant influence on US regulations, AP noted.
The US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, for instance, has had several run-ins with Musk, including through investigations of Tesla’s autonomous driving claims. But, if as part of his ‘efficiency’ role Musk proposes significant cuts at the NHTSA, the agency’s entire role could be watered down to putting out “commercials reminding people to just wear their seat belts,” one expert told AP.
Read the full report: The Associated Press
- Vishakha Saxena
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