Wired Establishes Itself as the Digital Thorn in Elon Musk’s Side

If you have been following the recent wave of news about Elon Musk and the cost-cutting spree his Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) has been on, you have likely noticed one outlet is routinely breaking the news: Wired.

The tech-focused website has posted 20 stories that include “Musk” and/or “DOGE” in the headline in the 18 days since President Donald Trump — the man who tapped the tech billionaire behind Tesla and SpaceX to lead the department — returned to the White House. More than one of those stories went on to drive the daily news coverage of Musk and Trump.

Most notably, Wired reported Sunday, Feb. 2 on the handful of 19- to 24-year-old engineers Musk had enlisted to help him slash U.S. government spending. The story is aptly titled “The Young, Inexperienced Engineers Aiding Elon Musk’s Government Takeover.” (Musk said last week he wants to cut $1–$2 trillion in annual spending — a goal that represents up to 30% of what the government shelled out in 2024.)

The six members of Musk’s young team, Wired reported, have “little to no government experience.”

The story riled up Musk’s critics, including Hillary Clinton. The former Democratic nominee for president made it clear she was not a fan of Musk’s young team. Responding to an X post from new Department of Transportation head Sean Duffy saying he just spoke to the DOGE team, the former secretary of state wrote on X, “They have no relevant experience. Most of them aren’t old enough to rent a car. And you’re going to let them mess with airline safety that’s already deteriorated on your watch?”

Conservative commentator Ben Shapiro went in the other direction. Shapiro, commenting on the Wired piece and the public response to it, said the young engineers are being painted as “evil nerds” who are destroying the bureaucracy.

“Of course, if these people were on the left, it would be an unmitigated good,” Shapiro said on his YouTube show.

Musk himself joked about the report, without referencing it specifically.

“Time to confess: Media reports saying that DOGE has some of the world’s best software engineers are in fact true,” the X owner posted on X.

Either way, the story drove considerable traffic to Wired. CNN Chief Media Analyst Brian Stelter reported on Tuesday that Wired enjoyed “a record-breaking increase in subscriptions” on the day the story was published. Subscriptions to the site — which currently are being offered for $1 per month for a year’s access to its digital articles — went “soaring to 10 times their usual rate,” Stelter reported, without offering details on what Wired’s normal subscription rate is.

Wired’s coverage has largely been critical of Musk and DOGE. Some of the headlines in the last month make that clear, including:

• “Elon Musk Lackeys Have Taken Over the Office of Personnel Management”
• “The Far Right Has a New Hero: Elon Musk”
• “Elon Musk’s Friends Have Infiltrated Another Government Agency”

This is not new. Wired ran a story in April 2024 titled “Elon Musk Is Platforming Far-Right Activists in Brazil, Defying Court Order.”

Musk responded directly to that article, saying that Wired “went from being about technology to being an unreadable, far-left wing propaganda mouthpiece” years ago.

“From their standpoint, everything is ‘far-right’! Did they cite any examples of someone actually breaking the law?” Musk posted on X.

With the Tesla CEO firmly entrenched as a key player in Trump’s new administration, more industry-shaking reports from Wired — and return barbs from Musk — are likely to come.

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