Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy have already started hiring for President-elect Trump's new government department on X — but it appears job seekers need to sign up for the social media platform to apply.
Trump appointed Musk and Ramaswamy earlier this week to head the newly created department — already called DOGE — to find ways to cut federal spending and create a more efficient government.
The group, which Trump confirmed would work “outside” the government in an advisory manner, on Thursday began soliciting applications via X — with the top candidates personally vetted by Musk and Ramaswamy.
“We are very grateful to the thousands of Americans who have expressed interest in helping us with DOGE,” the department said in a post on X.
“We don't need more part-time idea generators. We need small government revolutionaries with very high IQs, willing to work 80+ hours a week in order to cut costs unattractively.
“If this is you, send a direct message to this account with your resume. Elon & Vivek will review the top 1% of applicants.
However, only premium X subscribers are currently able to send messages to a DOGE account.
A premium subscription to Musk's social media platform currently sets a user between $8-$16 per month in the US.
Some users were quick to point out that DOGE's DMs were not open — meaning the X subscription was apparently a job requirement for the cost-cutting entity.
“Your first task in making things more efficient is actually opening your DMs,” one user grumbled.
“You should have a DM bonus, we live in an ecology and subscription services are a luxury. I'm willing to work 80 hours a week to have a savings account again,” said another.
One user added: “To DM DOGE on
The job posting had been viewed nearly 15 million times by Friday.
Trump said the department would work alongside the White House and the Office of Management and Budget “to achieve broad scope.” [sic] Structural reform, creating an entrepreneurial approach to government never seen before.
The Tesla billionaire, who previously said the federal budget could be cut by at least $2 trillion, called for advice from Americans as he insisted DOGE would strive for “transparency.”
“All government efficiency management procedures will be published online for maximum transparency,” Musk wrote on X.
“We'll also have a leaderboard for the most insanely stupid spending of your tax money. This will be very tragic and a lot of fun.”
