According to the Washington Post, citing sources, businessman Vivek Ramaswamy was not jointly appointed with billionaire Elon Musk as the director of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), as the two had differences of opinion.
Ramaswamy and Musk shared a radical vision of government downsizing, but their strategies to achieve this goal ultimately proved incompatible. Ramaswamy examined which government agencies could be closed without Congressional approval, and he explored legal possibilities. He viewed the DOGE as a non-governmental entity, akin to a think tank, that would push for significant changes, which would then be enshrined in laws.
Musk, on the other hand, was not interested in such processes and viewed the DOGE from a “technological perspective.” A source from the news agency summarized the situation, saying, “It was competing visions.”
According to the Washington Post, Musk increasingly came to the conclusion that the DOGE should operate as a small organization within the government, gaining access to sensitive information and preparing lawsuits to compel the disclosure of meeting minutes and protocols.
The New York Times reported that Ramaswamy had upset not only Musk but also other Trump-affiliated individuals and even the US President himself. One of the most contentious issues was his support for hiring high-skilled workers through H1B visas. Musk held the same position, but his influence within the inner circle of the Republican Party was greater due to his significant campaign donations.
Musk made it clear that he wanted to get rid of Ramaswamy, according to Politico, and many within the President’s inner circle were reportedly unhappy with him. A magazine reported that “everyone wants him to disappear from Mar-a-Lago and Washington.”
Ramaswamy intends to run for the office of Governor of Ohio, which will be vacant in November 2026. His net worth, estimated by Forbes, exceeds $1 billion. He has built his capital mainly through his 2014-founded biotech company Roivant Sciences and, in 2022, co-founded the investment firm Strive Asset Management.