Elon Musk's DOGE Hiring Campaign: 80+ Hours A Week With No Pay

Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) is hiring. The Tesla CEO, along with Vivek Ramaswamy, appointed by President-elect Donald Trump to lead DOGE, is using his social media platform X to recruit candidates. They are looking for ?super high-IQ small-government revolutionaries? willing to work over 80 hours a week on unglamorous cost-cutting tasks. 

The official DOGE account has gained over 1.4 million followers since its launch and posted a job opening, thanking thousands of Americans who have expressed interest in joining the department. ?We are very grateful to the thousands of Americans who have expressed interest in helping us at DOGE. We don't need more part-time idea generators. We need super high-IQ small-government revolutionaries willing to work 80+ hours per week on unglamorous cost-cutting. If that's you, DM this account with your CV. Elon and Vivek will review the top 1 per cent of applicants,? they wrote on X.   

The job requirements are steep, with no specified education or professional experience needed, but applicants should be willing to work long hours on cost-cutting tasks. Both Mr Musk and Mr Ramaswamy have committed to personally reviewing the ?top 1 per cent of applicants,? though the selection criteria remain unclear. To apply, candidates must send their resumes via direct message on X, but only users with a verified X account, which requires an $8 monthly subscription, can send messages.

The role, despite its demanding nature, comes with zero compensation, as Mr Musk himself clarified on X. ?Indeed, this will be tedious work, make lots of enemies and compensation is zero. What a great deal!? he wrote. 

Mr Ramaswamy, for his part, said, ?That stands in contrast to the many government bureaucrats who: (a) do little or no work, (b) tell people only what they want to hear, & (c) make more money than the value they create.?

President-elect Trump announced DOGE with the goal of reducing federal spending, eliminating excessive regulations, and restructuring federal agencies. Operating outside the formal government structure, DOGE will offer ?advice and guidance from outside of government.? Trump has set a deadline for DOGE to complete its mission by July 4, 2026.