Data scientist and nonprofit founder Rumman Chowdhury has issued a scathing critique of Elon Musk's management style, warning that the billionaire's approach to restructuring is causing a brain drain in the US government. Speaking at an SXSW panel on Thursday, Chowdhury drew parallels between Musk's takeover of Twitter in 2022 and his current advisory role at the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), which has been rapidly cutting staff across federal agencies.

Chowdhury, who was a director of Twitter's machine ethics team before being let go by Musk, expressed concern about the impact of mass layoffs on the government's ability to function effectively. "When your funding is frozen and you don't know if you're gonna be fired, and there's this, like, absolutely unhinged person saying weird things on the internet constantly, you still have to do your job, right?" she said, referencing Musk's erratic behavior on social media.

The DOGE initiative, which Musk is advising, has resulted in significant staff reductions at various federal agencies, including the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, and the Federal Aviation Administration. Chowdhury fears that this brain drain will compromise the government's ability to provide essential services and ensure national security.

Chowdhury's warnings are rooted in her own experience at Twitter, where Musk's takeover led to the departure of around 50% of the company's staff. "So some estimates say about 20% of [Twitter] had already left before [Musk] even took over, and then he fired another 30% on top of that, right?" she said. "So we're talking a big chunk of the company being just gone, whether of their own volition or not, but I think the most important thing was that just the looming shadow of [Musk's] existence completely killed the culture of Twitter."

Chowdhury also accused Musk of using his social media platform, now rebranded as X, as a propaganda tool to push his own ideology. She cited instances where Musk has shared misleading information, including false claims about the 2024 US presidential election and federal spending. Chowdhury argued that Musk's behavior is fundamentally at odds with the principles of good governance and effective leadership.

"Like, I don't think there's any debate or discussion to be had here," Chowdhury said. "I don't think [former Twitter CEO] Jack Dorsey acted anywhere near the way Elon Musk [has] — he was not on Twitter every day with his opinions, blocking people, you know, amplifying others, calling some people terrorists — like, Jack did not act that way."

The controversy surrounding Musk's management style and his use of X as a platform for disseminating misinformation has sparked a broader conversation about the role of technology in shaping public discourse and the importance of responsible leadership in the tech industry.

As the US government continues to grapple with the implications of Musk's advisory role at DOGE, Chowdhury's warnings serve as a timely reminder of the need for effective governance and responsible leadership in the tech sector. With the future of the US government's ability to function effectively hanging in the balance, it remains to be seen how Musk's approach will ultimately impact the country and its citizens.