The Atlantic says Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency has gained what one USAID employee called "God mode" access to federal systems, giving the group an unusually deep view into government data and operations.
The reporting, published by The Atlantic, describes access that goes well beyond ordinary oversight. According to an employee in senior leadership at USAID, DOGE now has full, unrestricted access to the agency’s digital infrastructure. The article says that includes control over systems used by Americans working in conflict zones, the ability to view and manipulate financial systems, and access that could extend to other parts of the federal government.
The story says the same pattern may be spreading. It reports that DOGE is expected to enter IT systems at the CDC and the Federal Aviation Administration, and that it already has done so at NASA, based on sources familiar with those agencies. It also says Thomas Shedd, a former Tesla engineer who became director of the Technology Transformation Services, requested privileged access to 19 IT systems administered by teams inside TTS.
The broader concern is not just access, but what access enables. The article says people inside agencies fear DOGE could copy and remove information without detection, then feed sensitive material into AI tools or retain it for future use. At USAID, the reported access includes human-resources records, disciplinary information, classified material, payroll systems, building-access tools, and contract and grant-management systems.
The piece also stresses the unusual concentration of power. Federal agencies are normally separated for reasons of specialization and oversight, but the article argues that DOGE’s reach effectively moves many of those systems under Musk’s orbit. In one line, it says the team is working on behalf of Donald Trump, while also warning that the access could outlast any individual political relationship.
The article does not claim to independently verify every access point at every agency. It is careful on that front, saying USAID is the only agency where the writers could confirm full-system "God mode" access. But the article’s larger point is clear: the combination of broad privileges, sensitive records, and cross-agency reach is already alarming staffers who fear they may not know what has been copied or changed until it is too late.
For federal workers, the implications are operational and personal. For the public, the article frames the issue as one of control over state capacity itself: who can see, move, and potentially alter the systems that carry out government functions.
