Tech billionaire Elon Musk has a “serious conflict of interest” on matters regarding AI policies in the Trump administration, according to LinkedIn cofounder Reid Hoffman. In an op-ed published in The Financial Times, Hoffman expressed concerns that Trump and Musk might favor certain companies and individuals in a way that could be detrimental to American tech innovation.
Musk—CEO of Tesla, SpaceX, and xAI, and owner of Neuralink, X, and The Boring Company—will co-lead a federal advisory commission called the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) along with Vivek Ramaswamy. Many of his companies receive government subsidies or direct federal contracts, creating obvious conflicts of interest.
Musk’s ownership of xAI in particular will be “a serious conflict of interest,’’ Hoffman wrote. “Using his position to favor xAI in any way, such as awarding it government contracts, encouraging federal agencies to unfairly target AI companies, or imposing new regulations that limit exports will come at the expense of U.S. technological, economic and cultural security and competitiveness.”
In his role at DOGE, Musk could also influence future operations at Tesla, SpaceX, and Neuralink, which are also all in highly regulated industries.
Hoffman has been an outspoken critic of Trump’s presidency but said he was hopeful Trump could expand on a “strong Democrat-engineered economy” and encourage more business investments and tech innovations around AI. However, he also warned that the Trump administration might suppress innovation by not working with U.S. global allies to enhance technologies such as artificial intelligence.
Meanwhile, Donald Moynihan, a professor of public policy at the Ford School of Public Policy at the University of Michigan, told DW that Musk seems more focused on cutting costs and punishing people he disagrees with.
“I cannot think of another instance of someone with such clear and obvious conflicts with a public official offering advice on the budget, structure, and removal of employees that directly affect his businesses,” Moynihan said. “It is cartoonishly corrupt.”
SpaceX has received billions of dollars in contracts from NASA and the Department of Defense (DoD) to launch satellites, service the International Space Station, and use its Starlink satellite communication network. In 2023 alone, Musk-owned companies had nearly 100 different contracts with 17 federal agencies totaling $3 billion, according to the New York Times.
Musk’s companies have also been the subject of at least 20 recent investigations or reviews, including over the safety of Tesla cars and the harmful environmental effects his rockets have caused. The Times said Musk has such vast ties to the federal government that it might not be possible for him to serve as Trump’s top advisor without creating major conflicts of interest.
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