DOGE tech employees jointly resign in protest of Elon Musk
A group of U.S. Digital Service employees resigned in protest of new leader Elon Musk's DOGE initiative, as the X owner threatens federal jobs.
More than 20 Department of Government Efficiency ("DOGE") employees resigned Tuesday (Feb. 25), saying they would no longer aid in leader Elon Musk's technological overhaul of federal services.
The group — made up of technologists previously employed at digital giants like Google and Amazon — comprised about one-third of the U.S. Digital Service, the government office subsumed and rebranded as DOGE by Musk following President Donald Trump's instatement. Musk previously fired around 40 digital service staffers after taking over the office.
The remaining members posted their call to action as part of WeTheBuilders, a recently-launched collective and website created by current and public federal workers who decry Trump's federal efficiency plans and share inside stories about DOGE's overhaul. The group calls themselves "The official resistance team of the U.S. Digital Service."
"We swore to serve the American people and uphold our oath to the Constitution across presidential administrations. However, it has become clear that we can no longer honor those commitments... We will not use our skills as technologists to compromise core government systems, jeopardize Americans’ sensitive data, or dismantle critical public services. We will not lend our expertise to carry out or legitimize DOGE’s actions," wrote the Digital Service employees in a joint resignation letter to Trump's chief of staff, obtained by the Associated Press. "These actions are not compatible with the mission we joined the United States Digital Service to carry out: to deliver better services to the American people through technology and design."
