21 Federal Tech Workers Quit in Protest of Musk’s Plans to Dismantle Essential Public Services

More than 20 employees from Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) have resigned. They say they cannot use their skills to dismantle vital public services.

In a joint resignation letter, these civil servants expressed their commitment to serving the American people and upholding the Constitution. They stated that they felt unable to honor those commitments anymore.

The resigning staff—engineers, data scientists, and product managers—warned that some people Musk hired for this project lacked the necessary skills and experience. They emphasized that the team had shifted from focusing on public service to pushing a political agenda.

This mass resignation is a setback for Musk and the efforts under former President Donald Trump to reduce the federal workforce. The departures come amid ongoing court challenges aimed at halting the firings of government workers.

These employees were previously with the U.S. Digital Service, created during Barack Obama’s presidency after the troubled launch of Healthcare.gov. They joined the government with a desire to contribute to public service after working at top tech companies like Google and Amazon.

After Trump’s inauguration, the staff noted a drastic change in the workplace culture. They recounted being questioned by individuals from the White House, who often displayed a lack of understanding and technical skills. These interviewers focused more on political loyalty rather than on qualifications.

Earlier this month, about 40 employees from this office were laid off. The departure of these workers, who were dedicated to modernizing services like Social Security and healthcare, threatens the stability and security of vital government systems.

Of the roughly 65 remaining staff, about a third left in this recent wave of resignations. They pledged that they would not misuse their skills to damage essential services or compromise sensitive data.

Musk aimed to reshape the agency into a more aggressive effort to cut government spending. Initially, DOGE was presented as a commission meant to improve efficiency, but it shifted towards a more radical approach. Musk himself has embraced this role, even remarking at a recent event about giving a “chainsaw for bureaucracy.”

Despite this turmoil, efforts have been made to retain technical talent, focusing layoffs on non-engineering roles. One such staffer, Jonathan Kamens, believed he was let go due to his outspoken views on politics and criticism of Musk.

Employees with backgrounds in the U.S. Digital Service highlighted differences between private and public sectors. They stressed that actions in government have broader implications for people’s lives, unlike those in a business, where risks and consequences are contained.

The U.S. Digital Service, founded over a decade ago, aimed to enhance various government services, including a platform for tax filing that bypassed third-party services. Its mission was to improve public service for the American people, backed by the authority of the White House.