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Elon Musk is rapidly consolidating control over large swaths of the federal government with President Donald Trump’s blessing, sidelining career officials, gaining access to sensitive databases and dismantling a leading source of humanitarian assistance.The speed and scope of his work has been nothing short of stunning. In a little more than two weeks since Trump took office, the world’s richest man has created an alternative power structure inside the federal government for the purpose of cutting spending and pushing out employees. None of this is happening with congressional approval, inviting a constitutional clash over the limits of presidential authority. Trump says Musk is doing his bidding Musk has been named as a special government employee, which subjects him to less stringent rules on ethics and financial disclosures than other workers. Trump has given Musk office space in the White House complex where he oversees a team of people at the so-called Department of Government Efficiency. The team has been dispersed throughout federal agencies to gather information and deliver edicts. Some of them were spotted on Monday at the Department of Education, which Trump has vowed to abolish.Republicans defend Musk as simply carrying out Trump’s slash-and-burn campaign promises. Trump made no secret of his desire to put Musk, the billionaire entrepreneur behind the electric automaker Tesla and the rocket company SpaceX, in charge of retooling the federal government.“Elon can’t do and won’t do anything without our approval,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office on Monday.The Republican president also played downs concerns about Musk’s conflict of interests as he flexes his power over the bureaucracy even though his businesses face regulatory scrutiny and have federal contracts.“Where we think there’s a conflict or there’s a problem, we won’t let him go near it, but he has some very good ideas,” Trump said. Musk persists in spite of Democrats’ outrage Democrats, for their part, accused Musk of leading a coup from within the government by amassing unaccountable and illegal power.“We will do everything in our power in the Senate and the House to stop this outrage,” Sen. Chris Van Hollen of Maryland said. “And in the meantime, since we don’t have many Republican colleagues who want to help us, we are doing everything we can with our colleagues through the courts to make sure that we uphold the rule of law.” The apex of Musk’s work so far came on Monday at the Washington headquarters for the U.S. Agency for International Development, or USAID, where yellow police tape blocked access to the lobby and hundreds of employees were locked out of computer systems. Musk said Trump had agreed to let him shutter the agency.“It’s not an apple with a worm in it, what we have is just a ball of worms,” Musk said of the world’s largest provider of humanitarian, development and security assistance. “You’ve got to basically get rid of the whole thing. It’s beyond repair.” Federal workers are in unchartered territory Musk has also turned his attention to the General Services Administration, or GSA, which manages federal government buildings. An email sent last week from the Washington headquarters instructed regional managers to begin terminating leases on roughly 7,500 federal offices nationwide.The initiative is being led by Nicole Hollander, according to an agency employee who requested anonymity to discuss internal matters. Hollander describes herself on LinkedIn as an employee at X, Musk’s social media platform.“This has gone beyond the pale. This is out of control. This is not a normal situation,” said Keya Chatterjee, executive director of Free DC, a local advocacy organization. She participated in a protest on Monday outside the Office of Personnel Management, which is one of the lesser-known federal agencies key to Musk’s agenda.Musk’s work has unnerved federal employees who are being nudged toward the exits. On Sunday night, concerns swept through the workforce that they could be locked out of internal human resources system, denying them access to their own personnel files that showed pay history, length of service, and qualifications. Supervisors in some agencies encouraged employees to download their records, called an SF-50, to personal computers so that they could prove their employment history in the event of disputes. Musk’s penchant for dabbling Musk has been tinkering with things his entire life, learning to code as a child in South Africa and becoming rich with the online payment company PayPal. He bought the social media platform Twitter a little more than two years ago, renamed it X and slashed its workforce while turning it into his personal political megaphone.Now Musk is popping open the hood on the federal government like it’s one of his cars or rockets.“The Silicon Valley playbook to disrupt the status quoby disregarding and disobeying rules that you don’t likeis in full effect here,” said Rob Lalka, an expert on entrepreneurship and innovation in business at Tulane University.One of the most significant steps was gaining access to the U.S. Treasury payment system, which is responsible for 1 billion payments per year totaling $5 trillion. It includes sensitive information involving bank accounts and Social Security payments.“No one outside of the staff doing the work ever asked to have access to the payment files,” said Richard Gregg, who spent four decades working for Treasury and oversaw the payment system as fiscal assistant secretary.It’s unclear what Musk wants to do with the payment system. He’s claimed that he could trim $1 trillion from the federal deficit “just by addressing waste, fraud and abuse.”“That’s the biggest data hack ever in the world,” Sen. Tammy Baldwin, a Wisconsin Democrat, told reporters in Madison. “I am outraged about it.”Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, a Democrat from New York, said Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent must revoke Musk’s access to the payment system.“We must halt this unlawful and dangerous power grab,” he said on Capitol Hill.A group representing retirees and union workers sued Bessent and the Treasury Department on Monday to get them to stop sharing personal and financial information with DOGE. Trump rewards Musk’s fealty Musk’s role is partially a reward for his work on behalf of Trump during the campaign. He spent roughly $250 million supporting Trump through America PAC, which included door-to-door canvassing and digital advertising.Although the PAC has not announced its next plans, Musk has suggested that he could ndorse primary challenges to Republican lawmakers who defy Trump’s agenda.“The more I’ve gotten to know President Trump, the more I like him,” Musk said in a conversation streamed live on X. “Frankly, I love the guy. He’s great.”Musk also described his work overhauling the federal government in existential terms, making it clear that he would push as hard and as far as he could.“If it’s not possible now, it will never be possible. This is our shot,” he said. “This is the best hand of cards we’re ever going to have. If we don’t take advantage of this best hand of cards, it’s never going to happen.” Associated Press writers Farnoush Amiri, Scott Bauer, Tom Beaumont, Rick Gentilo, Joshua Goodman, Lisa Mascaro, Zeke Miller, Sarah Parvini and Byron Tau contributed reporting. Chris Megerian, Associated Press
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E-Commerce
The discount retailer that plans to take over and operate hundreds of Big Lots stores is closer to deciding which locations it will save. Some 200 Big Lots leases have been designated to be transferred to Variety Wholesalers, the North Carolina-based owner of Roses and other discount chains, new court documents show. In a bankruptcy filing dated Monday, Big Lots said it will transfer the locations as part of its agreement with Gordon Brothers, the restructuring and investment firm that took control of the embattled retailer earlier this month. The list includes Big Lots locations across more than a dozen states, mostly in the South and Midwest regions. It’s unclear what Variety’s plans for the locations fully entail or if the stores will remain open continuously throughout the process. Concerned parties have until February 18 to object to the transfer of the leases. A spokesperson for Gordon Brothers confirmed with Fast Company that Variety intends to operate the leases as Big Lots stores, but said the list was not final and new locations could be added. Fast Company has also reached out to Variety Wholesalers. Variety had originally said it would take over between 200 to 400 Big Lots stores in an 11th-hour deal announced late last year that purportedly rescued the bankrupt brand from complete oblivion. Although Big Lots said the plan would potentially save thousands of jobs, workers have mostly been in the dark about which of the retailer’s more than 800 locations would be closing for good. The new list is likely to provide a modicum of closure for some employees who have been working under a lot of uncertainty for many weeks. States with Big Lots leases included on the list are Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Ohio, Michigan, Indiana, Kentucky, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia. The parties have asked a court to give them until April 7 to make the final determination. Gordon Brothers has since listed hundreds of Big Lots leases for sale to retailers that want to take over the spaces. This story is developing…
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E-Commerce
Not long ago, much of the business world still ran on Rolodexes, fax machines and file cabinets. Today, most of those once indispensable tools have been rendered obsolete and replaced by modern technology that has redefined the way we work. This integration of technology into all facets of business operations is widely known as Digital Transformation (DX), and its happening across nearly every industry today. In fact, 74% of organizations now consider DX initiatives a top priority, with global spending projected to hit $3.9 trillion by 2027. While modern tech solutions offer significant benefits, the race to keep up with emerging trends can overwhelm decision-makers and lead to costly mistakes. But technology doesnt have to be daunting. By asking the right questions of your team and vendors, you can identify, vet, and implement solutions that deliver real ROI for your business and customers. The following framework will guide you in developing a strategy to cut through the noise, mitigate risk, and empower your team to make technology investments that set you up for long-term success. So, whether youre just starting, stuck in neutral, or somewhere in between, read on. The Wrong Solution Can Create New Problems This may sound elementary, but its critical to understand your problem before investing in a solution. For example, AI can drive efficiency by automating manual work, but its useless unless you know where to deploy it. So, audit how your team spends its time. Data is helpful here, but frontline team members can also provide invaluable anecdotal feedback on productivity bottlenecks that automation could solve. Plus, engaging your team early on builds the buy-in necessary for smooth implementation later. That audit might also reveal multiple issues, but that doesnt mean you can or should try to solve them all at once. Instead, create a road map to help prioritize the most pressing challenges and then systematically work through others as time and resources allow. Once youve determined a problem, define the specific outcome you aim to achieve by implementing technologylike increasing role efficiency by 25 percent or decreasing cost per order by $1. Precision is key here, as vague objectives can lead to misguided investments in tools that fail to deliver results. Research Possible Solutions Now, you can start solutioning. Begin by reviewing potential vendor solutions and understanding their commonalities versus differentiation or even how industries outside your own address similar objectives. Though you work in fintech, you might be surprised by what you can learn about predictive analytics by studying how logistics service providers use data to lower shipping costs and improve efficiency or looking at how retail brands leverage AI to create hyper-personalized customer experiences. Keeping an open mind will always pay off. Make Data-Driven Decisions Next, conduct comprehensive due diligence on each potential solution. Go beyond the marketing materialsunderstand how the features apply to your specific problem, weigh costs against expected ROI, clarify what implementation support youll receive and consult team members who will use the tool. Arming yourself with all relevant data will help mitigate risk and drive buy-in across your organization. Product fit is just one part of the equation when investing in third-party technology. These solutions often address long-term opportunities, meaning you might work with a service provider for several years or more. If you sense any misalignment between your team and the service provider, trust your instincts and continue your search. Buying Versus Building Youll also need to decide whether to buy off-the-shelf technology or develop a custom solution in-house. Enterprise-level organizations with extensive technology teams may have the resources to build in-house, while SMBs often find ready-made tools perfectly suitable and far more cost-effective. Regardless, factor in the total cost of these options, including employee onboarding, systems integration and tech support, as these expenses can add up quickly. Whether buying or building, most technology isnt plug-and-play at scale. Thats why a detailed implementation and change management plan is essential. While making time for thorough employee training and troubleshooting may seem tedious, these steps are critical for achieving alignment and maximizing the solution’s impact, so dont skip it. Continually Measure Success Once the initial implementation is complete, measure success against your goals. Ramp-up may take time, but if the solution doesnt deliver results within six months, collaborate with your team and the service provider to identify issues and adjust course as needed. Tracking progress also helps maintain stakeholder supportproviding updates on outcomes and celebrating milestones can keep the team engaged and help secure resources for further investment. Lastly, as your business evolves, dont let this step slip by or stagnate your approach. Regularly revisiting and refining your review process as your needs change will ensure that a solution continues to deliver ongoing value over the long term or make clear when its time for something new. Investing in technology isnt just about acquiring toolsits about solving problems that empower your team and deliver long-term results. If youre new to this world, be patient with yourself and your team as you navigate the learning curve together. Mistakes are inevitable, but taking time to align solutions with clear objectives, evaluate vendors carefully and implement effectively will help mitigate potential risks and drive meaningful results for your team and business.
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E-Commerce
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