Elon Musk’s Go-To Cost-Cutter Is Working for DOGE
From yogurt store operator to tunneling executive, longtime Musk employee Steve Davis is bringing his unusual talents to the government.
An attendee operates a Boring Co. flamethrower to toast a marshmallow during a party for the Elon Musk tunneling startup.
Photographer: Dania Maxwell/BloombergElon Musk’s deputy Steve Davis has spent more than 20 years helping the billionaire cut costs at businesses like SpaceX, the Boring Company and Twitter — making the engineer by training a natural choice for his new role at Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE for short.
Davis is helping recruit staff at DOGE, Musk’s effort to reduce government waste, in addition to his day job as president of Musk’s tunneling startup, the Boring Company. At Boring, Davis has a reputation for frugality, signing off on costs as low as a few hundred dollars, according to people familiar with the conversations — unusual for a company that has raised about $800 million in capital. He also drives hard bargains with suppliers of products like raw steel, sensors, or even items as small as hose fittings, said the people, who asked not to be identified discussing private information.