Elon Musk visited the CIA: what was discussed
Kyiv • UNN
Elon Musk, curator of the US Department of Government Efficiency, visited CIA headquarters for negotiations. It was discussed how the CIA can become more efficient without compromising national security.
Billionaire and curator of the US Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) Elon Musk visited the CIA on March 31, a CNN source reported. The intelligence agency's public relations director, Liz Lyons, told Axios that Elon Musk visited CIA headquarters for talks on government efficiency, UNN writes.
Details
"Elon Musk visited the Central Intelligence Agency... as planned," a source familiar with the meeting said.
Officials declined to provide details of the meeting, but CNN previously reported that CIA Director John Ratcliffe told staff that Musk visited the intelligence agency to discuss "technology" and "mission advancement."
Axios learned more details. The intelligence agency's public relations director, Liz Lyons, said Elon Musk visited CIA headquarters on Monday for talks on government efficiency.
This is Musk's first visit to the CIA since the creation of DOGE, the federal cost-cutting department he heads.
Unlike other government departments, DOGE will not have unlimited access to CIA databases or internal systems, as most of them are top secret, a source familiar with the matter said.
Lyons said Musk, a senior adviser to President Trump, was received by CIA Director John Ratcliffe and Deputy Director Michael Ellis. A group of leading CIA staff members also attended the meeting.
During the meeting, SpaceX and Tesla CEO Musk briefed Ratcliffe and other CIA staff on key findings from DOGE's work in other ministries and agencies, as well as "how these lessons can be thoughtfully applied to the CIA," Lyons said.
A source familiar with the meeting said that there is an internal DOGE team at the CIA that was formed after Trump's decree. The team, which includes CIA staff, has been working for several weeks.
CIA staff did not give Musk intelligence, but discussed with him "what makes the CIA unique" compared to other government agencies, the source said.
The source said that Ratcliffe and his team discussed with Musk how the CIA can adapt steps that have been taken in other government agencies and become more efficient without compromising national security.
The source said that another issue discussed at the meeting was technology.
"Director Ratcliffe emphasized during the meeting the importance of respecting taxpayers' money and ensuring that it is spent wisely and appropriately - on the CIA's mission to protect the United States of America," Lyons said.
