Bitcoin

when

Elon Musk

Elon Musk, the unofficial head of US President-elect Donald Trump’s “Department of Government Efficiency,” recently announced his preferred title in the impending administration: Volunteer IT consultant.&nbsp;
The billionaire technology mogul’s comments came as part of a scathing admonition posted on X.com, which Musk owns, concerning the perceived state of the US government’s computer systems.&nbsp;
<figure>
 <img alt="Cryptocurrencies, IRS, Taxes, Technology, US Government, Donald Trump, Goverment, Elon Musk" src="https://s3.cointelegraph.com/uploads/2024-12/0193ad29-57bb-7243-aef0-80a267cf2123" title="">
 <figcaption style="text-align: center;">
 Musk criticized the US government’s computer systems. Source: <a data-ct-non-breakable="null" href="https://x.com/elonmusk/status/1866136939247681617" rel="null" target="null" text="null" title="https://x.com/elonmusk/status/1866136939247681617">Elon Musk</a>
 </figcaption>
</figure>
According to Musk, the federal government’s computers and software “are in such bad shape that they often cannot verify that payments are not fraud, waste or abuse.”&nbsp;
<blockquote>
 “That’s why the government can’t pass basic audits. They often LITERALLY don’t know where your tax dollars went. It’s insane.”
</blockquote>
<h2 id="government-efficiency">Government efficiency</h2>
Musk discussed the problems in replies to questions and comments on his original post. 
He <a data-ct-non-breakable="null" href="https://x.com/elonmusk/status/1866144824832778332" rel="null" target="null" text="null" title="null">explained</a> that the US government “is actually massively overpaying for software that doesn’t work” and that while “some of it is intentional,” most of the outdated equipment and software has persisted as “a natural consequence of a vast bureaucracy with no accountability for results.” He added, “If it were mostly intentional, it would be easy to reverse.”
Perhaps most noteworthy was Musk’s assertion that the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is using equipment that is decades out of date:
<figure>
 <img alt="Cryptocurrencies, IRS, Taxes, Technology, US Government, Donald Trump, Goverment, Elon Musk" src="https://s3.cointelegraph.com/uploads/2024-12/0193ad2a-ab21-7a07-88ea-34fdba096f10" title="">
 <figcaption style="text-align: center;">
 Musk responds to an image showing computers from the late 1990s. Source: <a data-ct-non-breakable="null" href="https://x.com/elonmusk/status/1866136939247681617" rel="null" target="null" text="null" title="https://x.com/elonmusk/status/1866136939247681617">Elon Musk</a>
 </figcaption>
</figure>
In response to a user who posted an image of what appears to be computers from the early-to-mid 1990s alongside a monitor displaying the Windows 98 startup screen and jokingly claimed they were the computers used by the IRS, Musk wrote “I wish. Unfortunately, it’s much worse than that.”
Related: <a data-ct-non-breakable="null" href="https://cointelegraph.com/news/bitfinex-hacker-tracking-irs-laptop-smithsonian-display" rel="null" target="null" text="null" title="https://cointelegraph.com/news/bitfinex-hacker-tracking-irs-laptop-smithsonian-display">Smithsonian to display IRS laptop that tracked Bitfinex’s 120K stolen Bitcoin</a>
While it’s unclear whether Musk meant the admission in jest, it’s indicative of the overall tone of his statements in that it implies the US — one of the richest governments in the world — has failed to keep critical infrastructure properly maintained and updated.&nbsp;
Still, based on Musk’s commentary, it doesn’t appear that his assessment is necessarily politically motivated. Musk avoided placing any blame in his posts and instead signaled that the issue was more one of bureaucratic entrenchment than intentional mismanagement.&nbsp;
It seems likely that Musk may pursue an apolitical solution to accelerate government accountability and ensure technological advancement — and blockchain could fit the bill perfectly.
Related: <a data-ct-non-breakable="null" href="https://cointelegraph.com/learn/articles/how-does-blockchain-work-everything-there-is-to-know" rel="null" target="null" text="null" title="null">What is blockchain technology? How does it work?</a>
The incoming Trump administration has already professed its intention to make the US the de facto global leader in<a data-ct-non-breakable="null" href="https://cointelegraph.com/news/trump-promises-crypto-election-usa" rel="null" target="null" text="null" title="null"> both cryptocurrency and blockchain technology</a>. And as numerous experts have <a data-ct-non-breakable="null" href="https://www.ibm.com/topics/blockchain" rel="null" target="null" text="null" title="null">pointed out</a>, blockchain's most basic use case is as an immutable ledger.&nbsp;
If implemented at the federal level, a core IT stack built on blockchain could ensure the existence of a permanent record of every transaction conducted by the federal government. This would make it possible to perform mass audits while providing the potential for absolute transparency of tax allocation and spending.&nbsp;
Magazine: <a data-ct-non-breakable="null" href="https://cointelegraph.com/magazine/normie-degens-go-all-in-on-sports-fan-crypto-tokens-for-the-rewards/" rel="null" target="null" text="null" title="null">‘Normie degens’ go all in on sports fan crypto tokens for the rewards</a>

Elon Musk: IRS relies on old computers, ‘can’t pass basic audits’

Table of Contents

Cointelegraph

Other articles published on Dec 9, 2024

India Blockchain Week 2024 Conference Reveals Remarkable Web3 Ecosystem Growth (9 Dec)

Xcoub: Revolutionizing Staking Solutions

Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse Slams 60 Minutes. Here’s why

SUI Investors Flock to Suiruto Presale as It Sets to List at 2x on Cetus Protocol

Eigen Layer Analysis: Market Sentiment, Technical Patterns, and Key Levels

Deus X Pay Rebrands to Accelerate International Payments with Stablecoin Solutions

Join our free newsletter for daily crypto updates!