Elon Musk's appointment by Donald Trump to co-lead a new department tasked with slashing government spending comes with a major wrinkle: Potential conflicts of interest.
Musk's planned role collides with his day job running his business empire that includes electric automaker Tesla, rocket company SpaceX, social media platform X, and AI startup xAI. Many worry he will use his position in Trump's inner circle, leading the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), to supercharge his own companies or harm competitors.
