Musk asks ‘high-IQ revolutionaries’ to work for Trump project without pay

Only those who can afford to work for free will join President-elect Donald Trump's proposed Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE.

Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy, who were appointed by Trump to lead an initiative to slash government spending, issued a statement on Thursday on X, formerly Twitter. At first glance, it seemed to be a job posting to help restructure federal agencies and cut regulations and waste. Instead, it was a call for volunteers.

"We don’t need more part-time idea generators. We need super high-IQ small-government revolutionaries willing to work 80+ hours per week on unglamorous cost-cutting," the statement said.

More: Elon Musk wants to cut government spending. Tesla and SpaceX benefit from it

The statement thanked the "thousands of Americans" who have already expressed an interest in joining DOGE. It continued by asking those who resonate with the job description to send the X account a direct message with their resume.

"Elon & Vivek will review the top 1% of applicants," the statement added.

Musk followed up the statement in a separate post poking fun at the work DOGE is expected to complete before July 4, 2026, a deadline the president-elect imposed in a statement Tuesday.

"Indeed, this will be tedious work, make lots of enemies & compensation is zero," he wrote. "What a great deal!"

Since its creation this week the @DOGE account on X, a social media platform Musk purchased in 2022, has gained 1.4 million followers. Musk, the world's richest man according to Forbes, used the site to promote and fundraise for Trump during his reelection campaign.

Ramaswamy was also a vocal Trump supporter on the campaign trail after dropping his own bid for the White House to endorse the former president. A week after Trump's victory, the president-elect announced the pair would lead DOGE, calling the concept "'The Manhattan Project' of our time."

Reach Rachel Barber at [email protected] and follow her on X @rachelbarber_

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Musk, Ramaswamy want to staff DOGE with 'high-IQ revolutionaries'