From Tesla to Twitter and SpaceX, meet Elon Musk's go-to man who now oversees DOGE: Key points

He has been identified as one of the most influential deputies among tech billionaire Elon Musk's team of young DOGE engineers and enforcers who are slashing through the federal bureaucracy. From pioneering space exploration at SpaceX to reshaping social media at Twitter, now known as X, the 45-year-old Steve Davis has been a constant figure in Musk's circle for over two years now.

Steve Davis has effectively become the day-to-day leader of DOGE. He has more power than Amy Gleason, the Trump administration’s acting DOGE administrator, two people close to the effort told NYT, adding that Gleason has sometimes been in the dark about Davis’ decisions.

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Meet Steve Davis, one of key lieutenant's of Elon Musk: 12 points

-Even though Elon Musk is the face and public figure leading DOGE, its de-facto leader is Steve Davis, who has been the tech mogul’s right-hand man for decades, according to a NYT report. He now faces his most ambitious challenge- helping the world's richest man streamline the federal government.


-Musk and Davis have enjoyed a cost-cutting partnership long before they took aim at the federal government. Davis’ past projects include developing ways to design rockets on the cheap at SpaceX. He was also in charge of layoffs following Musk’s purchase of Twitter, now X.

-Davis started working for Musk in 2003, becoming the 14th staffer at SpaceX after Musk managed to coax him out of his Stanford aeronautics graduate program. Musk subsequently appointed Davis to run the Boring Company, a start-up working to build tunnels under urban areas to battle congestion.

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-Steve Davis has taken the lead in several of DOGE’s controversial cost-cutting moves, the report mentioned. His relationship with Musk began two decades before as a Stanford aerospace engineering student. He was handpicked by Elon Musk to join SpaceX as the 22nd employee.

-Last month, Musk baselessly claimed that the government had sent out $100 billion to people with no Social Security number. Two days later, Davis started pushing the Social Security Administration for information, according to the report. Davis called agency leadership to demand that they give a young DOGE engineer access to databases with sensitive information.

-Davis had a hand in the setup before Musk's infamous 'fork in the road' email to federal workers giving them a sudden option to take 'deferred resignation' or face the axe. He has also helped implement Musk's shock-and-awe tactics in the private sector.

-One of Musk's most trusted confidants, Steve Davis has earned the table of a relentless cost-cutter and a problem solver who is willing to tackle any task. 'Steve is like chemo,' Musk told a Trump transition meeting, according to the New York Times. 'A little chemo can save your life; a lot of chemo could kill you.'

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-For Musk, Davis represents the perfect employee—an engineer with relentless dedication and a talent for cutting inefficiencies, even if it means disrupting norms or reducing staff. According to a Fortune article, former colleagues portray Davis as someone who embraces challenges, eagerly tackling projects regardless of his expertise in the field. This determination has made him invaluable to Musk across various ventures, including SpaceX, The Boring Company, and X.

-“He hates waste,” one former employee told Fortune, noting that Davis insisted on being involved in all decision-making. According to Fortune, former colleagues portray Davis as someone who embraces challenges, eagerly tackling projects regardless of his expertise in the field. This determination has made him invaluable to Musk across various ventures, including SpaceX, The Boring Company, and X.

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-Twenty-two friends, former co-workers and government officials told the Times that Davis fully believes that Musk will progress humanity. Two former co-workers said Davis is the perfect staffer for Musk, someone who will take on any issue, regardless of his knowledge of the subject at hand.

-Davis also oversaw a super PAC backed by Musk as the Tesla owner campaigned for Trump during the 2024 presidential campaign. After Trump’s election win, Davis joined the transition team and interviewed candidates for Musk’s efficiency drive. Now, he is reportedly helming DOGE.

-Today, Davis is with DOGE and three employees at the General Services Administration told the paper that he and has set up a base on the sixth floor of the agency’s Washington building as he continues his to slash and burn the federal workforce.