Elon Musk is using his tech and leadership playbook in a crusade against the federal bureaucracy as he and his allies attempt to gain access to sensitive information and use emerging tech to speed

The Trump administration has increasingly downplayed billionaire Elon Musk’s level of authority in recent days, repeatedly claiming in legal filings he can’t unilaterally make decisions and doesn’t formally run the Department of Government Efficiency he was tapped to lead—even as reports and the billionaire’s own comments indicate Musk has been behind broad cuts throughout the federal government.