Elon Musk’s embrace of Silicon Valley's "fail-fast" philosophy is creating tension in Washington
The article explores the notion that managing an unmanned rocket’s failure becomes less challenging when the financial burden falls on others.
TroibNews 
President Donald Trump and Elon Musk are adopting a distinctly tech-oriented perspective on restructuring the federal government: cut first, then assess the damage.
This approach is closely aligned with Silicon Valley's “fail fast” mentality, promoting swift innovation even when the outcome is uncertain. Musk, the world’s richest individual and a key advisor to Trump, has long advocated this philosophy. “Failure is an option here. If things are not failing, you’re not innovating enough,” he remarked to Fast Company in 2005.
However, this mentality does not always translate well in Washington.
“It’s a lot easier to crash an unmanned rocket when you’re spending other people’s money,” noted Nu Wexler, a former Capitol Hill staffer with experience at Google and Twitter. “Musk has had great success in the private sector by exercising complete control over his companies. But it’s difficult, if not impossible, to replicate that in government.”
This week provided another instance of this tension as some of Trump’s appointed agency leaders instructed government employees to disregard Musk's requests for justification of their jobs through emails detailing work outputs. This reluctance was partly due to concerns that staff in national security positions might inadvertently endanger sensitive information.
The uncertainty stemming from this conflict remains unresolved, yet Musk seemed undeterred Wednesday as he reiterated his demands during a cabinet meeting with the president.
We're witnessing a broader cultural clash, emerging nearly six weeks into Trump’s second term, between Silicon Valley and Washington. Government employees tasked with implementing Musk's directives are beginning to recognize that, unlike in a tech startup, the government cannot simply reboot when critical operations fail.
In the realm of tech startups, estimates suggest that between 75% and 90% of businesses fail. This statistic is often acceptable, given the potential rewards of hitting on the next Tesla or Facebook. Conversely, the government is traditionally risk-averse because it is responsible for essential public services, some of which can be life-or-death for millions of Americans.
“When you have a tech company, every day you’re failing because you’re trying to bring something that doesn't exist into existence,” stated a former Trump official who has transitioned to a tech entrepreneurship role, who spoke on the condition of anonymity. “In government, you’re just trying to deliver legally guaranteed services to the public. You can’t fail. You have to succeed slowly.”
Within Musk's Department of Government Efficiency initiative, there are dissenting voices from some technologists.
This week, 21 staff members from the DOGE initiative resigned, expressing in a joint statement: “We will not use our skills as technologists to compromise core government systems, jeopardize Americans’ sensitive data, or dismantle critical public services.” Many of these individuals hailed from Silicon Valley prior to their public sector careers, yet they now question whether Musk’s aggressive downsizing will yield true efficiency.
“Experience in the private sector does not always translate to domain expertise in a government context,” write DOGE employee Steve Leibman in response to a request from the Office of Personnel Management. Leibman, who oversaw the development of the IRS Direct File system—targeted by Musk—shared his insights publicly on LinkedIn.
In certain government agencies, Musk's direct approach may not only disrupt but also pose serious risks.
A senior aviation safety official at the Federal Aviation Administration, who spoke anonymously due to fear of repercussions, cautioned that their team—responsible for around 8,000 mandated investigations nationwide—is losing vital expertise as seasoned managers accept buyouts or retire prematurely in the wake of DOGE's upheaval. “It’s scary, especially at a time when manufacturers, maintenance shops and airlines are feeling the financial pinch too,” the FAA official said. “Aviation safety inspectors are already in short supply and now we’re losing some of the most experienced people.”
Their unit not only investigates incidents but also assesses them to identify risks related to maintenance procedures, approach protocols, airport congestion, unapproved aircraft parts, and pilot fatigue—functions essential for preventing future accidents.
A ranger in the National Park Service communicated to PMG that while preparing for a patrol trip, they discovered their satellite phones were inoperable because the purchase orders that funded them had been halted. “Everyone wants to do a great job, but we can’t without safety equipment. Without patrol, visitors have no support out here in backcountry,” the ranger stated.
At the Food and Drug Administration, the Trump administration is reversing some of its firings, reinstating employees in the medical devices division after determining their crucial role in overseeing the safety of life-saving devices like pacemakers and defibrillators. Other reinstated employees include those from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, who were managing the federal response to bird flu, and National Nuclear Security Administration staff overseeing U.S. nuclear weapons.
The White House continues to support Musk's initiatives.
“There is no reason why a CEO’s approach cannot work in the nation’s capital,” commented White House spokesperson Harrison Fields. “The majority of Americans would rather have CEOs running the show than career bureaucrats.”
After an initial round of mass firings, the Trump administration has tempered its pace in some areas, recognizing the potential ramifications of gutting critical agencies without adequate contingency plans. Officials have vowed to review layoffs more thoroughly, with one White House source noting that Trump's team is now "double-, triple- and quadruple-checking" before making personnel cuts.
Yet experts caution that the structural damage might already be significant.
“We don't have a process if government fails,” warned Cary Coglianese, the Edward B. Shils Professor of Law at the University of Pennsylvania. “If people no longer get the cancer treatments that are going to prolong their life, if communicable diseases start spreading because nobody can track them or trust government information anymore, there's not a backstop for it.”
Max Fischer contributed to this report for TROIB News
This approach is closely aligned with Silicon Valley's “fail fast” mentality, promoting swift innovation even when the outcome is uncertain. Musk, the world’s richest individual and a key advisor to Trump, has long advocated this philosophy. “Failure is an option here. If things are not failing, you’re not innovating enough,” he remarked to Fast Company in 2005.
However, this mentality does not always translate well in Washington.
“It’s a lot easier to crash an unmanned rocket when you’re spending other people’s money,” noted Nu Wexler, a former Capitol Hill staffer with experience at Google and Twitter. “Musk has had great success in the private sector by exercising complete control over his companies. But it’s difficult, if not impossible, to replicate that in government.”
This week provided another instance of this tension as some of Trump’s appointed agency leaders instructed government employees to disregard Musk's requests for justification of their jobs through emails detailing work outputs. This reluctance was partly due to concerns that staff in national security positions might inadvertently endanger sensitive information.
The uncertainty stemming from this conflict remains unresolved, yet Musk seemed undeterred Wednesday as he reiterated his demands during a cabinet meeting with the president.
We're witnessing a broader cultural clash, emerging nearly six weeks into Trump’s second term, between Silicon Valley and Washington. Government employees tasked with implementing Musk's directives are beginning to recognize that, unlike in a tech startup, the government cannot simply reboot when critical operations fail.
In the realm of tech startups, estimates suggest that between 75% and 90% of businesses fail. This statistic is often acceptable, given the potential rewards of hitting on the next Tesla or Facebook. Conversely, the government is traditionally risk-averse because it is responsible for essential public services, some of which can be life-or-death for millions of Americans.
“When you have a tech company, every day you’re failing because you’re trying to bring something that doesn't exist into existence,” stated a former Trump official who has transitioned to a tech entrepreneurship role, who spoke on the condition of anonymity. “In government, you’re just trying to deliver legally guaranteed services to the public. You can’t fail. You have to succeed slowly.”
Within Musk's Department of Government Efficiency initiative, there are dissenting voices from some technologists.
This week, 21 staff members from the DOGE initiative resigned, expressing in a joint statement: “We will not use our skills as technologists to compromise core government systems, jeopardize Americans’ sensitive data, or dismantle critical public services.” Many of these individuals hailed from Silicon Valley prior to their public sector careers, yet they now question whether Musk’s aggressive downsizing will yield true efficiency.
“Experience in the private sector does not always translate to domain expertise in a government context,” write DOGE employee Steve Leibman in response to a request from the Office of Personnel Management. Leibman, who oversaw the development of the IRS Direct File system—targeted by Musk—shared his insights publicly on LinkedIn.
In certain government agencies, Musk's direct approach may not only disrupt but also pose serious risks.
A senior aviation safety official at the Federal Aviation Administration, who spoke anonymously due to fear of repercussions, cautioned that their team—responsible for around 8,000 mandated investigations nationwide—is losing vital expertise as seasoned managers accept buyouts or retire prematurely in the wake of DOGE's upheaval. “It’s scary, especially at a time when manufacturers, maintenance shops and airlines are feeling the financial pinch too,” the FAA official said. “Aviation safety inspectors are already in short supply and now we’re losing some of the most experienced people.”
Their unit not only investigates incidents but also assesses them to identify risks related to maintenance procedures, approach protocols, airport congestion, unapproved aircraft parts, and pilot fatigue—functions essential for preventing future accidents.
A ranger in the National Park Service communicated to PMG that while preparing for a patrol trip, they discovered their satellite phones were inoperable because the purchase orders that funded them had been halted. “Everyone wants to do a great job, but we can’t without safety equipment. Without patrol, visitors have no support out here in backcountry,” the ranger stated.
At the Food and Drug Administration, the Trump administration is reversing some of its firings, reinstating employees in the medical devices division after determining their crucial role in overseeing the safety of life-saving devices like pacemakers and defibrillators. Other reinstated employees include those from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, who were managing the federal response to bird flu, and National Nuclear Security Administration staff overseeing U.S. nuclear weapons.
The White House continues to support Musk's initiatives.
“There is no reason why a CEO’s approach cannot work in the nation’s capital,” commented White House spokesperson Harrison Fields. “The majority of Americans would rather have CEOs running the show than career bureaucrats.”
After an initial round of mass firings, the Trump administration has tempered its pace in some areas, recognizing the potential ramifications of gutting critical agencies without adequate contingency plans. Officials have vowed to review layoffs more thoroughly, with one White House source noting that Trump's team is now "double-, triple- and quadruple-checking" before making personnel cuts.
Yet experts caution that the structural damage might already be significant.
“We don't have a process if government fails,” warned Cary Coglianese, the Edward B. Shils Professor of Law at the University of Pennsylvania. “If people no longer get the cancer treatments that are going to prolong their life, if communicable diseases start spreading because nobody can track them or trust government information anymore, there's not a backstop for it.”
Max Fischer contributed to this report for TROIB News
