Meet Elon Musk’s Right-Hand Man Cutting Costs at DOGE

WSJ What’s News

The Wall Street Journal

Daily News, News

4.1 • 4.2K Ratings

🗓️ 10 February 2025

⏱️ 13 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

P.M. Edition for Feb. 10. After Elon Musk took over Twitter, one of his deputies, Steve Davis, adopted a move-fast-and-break-things approach to make the company more efficient. WSJ White House economics reporter Brian Schwartz tells us how Davis, now working at Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency, could use the same playbook for the federal government. Plus, Musk is leading an effort to buy ChatGPT maker OpenAI. And President Trump’s promise of mass deportations is causing immigrants to spend less. We hear from the Journal’s senior special writer Ruth Simon about who is feeling the impact. Alex Ossola hosts. Sign up for the WSJ's free What's News newsletter. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	This episode is sponsored by Northern Trust Wealth Management.
0:03.0	There is more to being a successful entrepreneur than just good business practices.
0:07.0	What is it about an entrepreneur's childhood that helped fuel their entrepreneurial spirit?
0:12.0	What are entrepreneurs doing to cultivate the spirit in their own children and build a legacy beyond their business?
0:17.0	Tune in each month to the Road to Why podcast by the Northern Trust Institute, where host
0:22.0	Eric Chappaya dives deeper with leading entrepreneurs on these topics and more.
0:26.3	Find the Road to Why where you listen to your favorite podcasts.
0:32.7	Elon Musk is leading an effort to take over OpenAI, the maker of ChatGPT.
0:38.1	Plus, meet the man behind the curtain for Doge's cost-cutting efforts.
0:41.8	It's an incredible amount of power for him.
0:44.0	He really is at the point of the triangle when it comes to the leadership ranks at the Department of Government efficiency.
0:49.9	And President Trump's promise of mass deportations is making immigrants spend less.
0:55.4	It's Monday, February 10th.
0:57.1	I'm Alex O'Sullough for the Wall Street Journal.
0:59.3	This is the PM edition of What's News, the top headlines and business stories that move the world today.
1:08.8	We're exclusively reporting that a consortium of investors led by Elon Musk is offering about $97 billion to buy the nonprofit that controls OpenAI.
1:18.6	The unsolicited offer is being backed by Musk's own artificial intelligence company XAI, which could merge with OpenAI following a deal.
1:27.0	Though Musk and Altman co-founded OpenAI as a charity in 2015, more recently the two have
1:32.4	been battling over the direction of the company.
1:35.0	While Altman plans to convert Open AI into a for-profit company and spend up to $500
1:39.7	billion on AI infrastructure through a joint venture called Stargate, Musk, in a statement provided by his lawyer, says he wants to return the company to the, quote,
1:48.5	open source, safety-focused force for good it once was.
	...

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