Want to Work for DOGE? Elon Musk Is Looking for ‘Super High-IQ’ Hires — But There’s a Catch

Want to apply for a job at the new Department of Government Efficiency headed by Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy? The process is selective and the pay is nonexistent, but the big-picture payoff could make getting involved worth it.

President-elect Donald Trump created the new Department of Government Efficiency earlier this week and placed Musk and Ramaswamy in charge. The two are tasked with cutting government costs and excess regulations by July 4, 2026.

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Though only days old,the department said in a post on X that it has received interest from thousands of people who want to help it achieve its objectives. The interest was noticeable enough that DOGE had to clarify what it was looking for from applicants, including that Musk and Ramaswamy would be reviewing top applicants themselves.

“We don’t need more part-time idea generators,” the department posted on X on Thursday. “We need super high-IQ small-government revolutionaries willing to work 80+ hours per week on unglamorous cost-cutting. If that’s you, DM this account with your CV. Elon & Vivek will review the top 1% of applicants.”

However, after Musk pointed out some hard truths about the open jobs, the massive interest in the roles may begin to wane.

“Indeed, this will be tedious work, make lots of enemies & compensation is zero,” he wrote in a post on X.

Though it may seem surprising that the jobs within DOGE are unpaid, uncompensated work to get a foot in the door is common. Nearly half of U.S. interns (47%) were unpaid in 2022 and some federal internships are unpaid.

In another post, Musk highlighted an upside to working for DOGE: The benefit that DOGE employees would bring to the country.

“Even a brief stint in government by people with high competence and integrity would greatly help America,” Musk stated.

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DOGE has to help the Trump administration downsize government bureaucracy, remove unnecessary regulations, and cut wasteful government spending — all in less than two years.

Ramaswamy and Musk are planning weekly livestreams, called “Dogecasts,” to update the American people on DOGE’s progress.