Brief. Mysterious. ‘Anxiety provoking.’ Inside DOGE’s crusade to overhaul the GSA

Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency agents have swarmed the government looking to size up worker productivity — and federal staffers who have chatted with the tech billionaire’s lieutenants fear jobs that aren’t compatible with a Silicon Valley work style are on the line.

Three General Services Administration employees — all of whom spoke to POLITICO anonymously out of fears of retribution — described their and their subordinates’ recent interviews with Musk’s DOGE agents as potentially career-ending, with federal employees feeling like every word they’re saying could be grounds for future dismissal. The behind-the-scenes agency handles the federal government’s real estate, software and logistics — so Musk and his team’s efforts to trim GSA could have a domino effect across the government.

“The interviews are anxiety provoking,” said a GSA supervisor whose employees were recently interviewed by a DOGE worker. The tension swells the moment a worker receives a calendar invite from a Gmail account, they said, “frequently with almost no notice and often scheduled over existing client meetings.”