{{Short description|Department of Government Efficiency employee}} '''Steven M. Davis''' (born {{birth based on age as of date|45|2025|3|20|noage=1}}<ref name="Mac" />) is a business executive. In early 2025, he was the effective leader of the United States Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). Davis has also served as president of the Boring Company.
''The New York Times'' characterized Davis as Elon Musk's "top lieutenant", having played many roles within Musk's enterprises, particularly focused on cost cutting, firing, and dismantling organizations. Musk has compared him to chemotherapy, that is, poison to save a body from imminent death of cancer.<ref name="Mac">{{Cite news |last1=Mac |first1=Ryan |author-link1=Ryan Mac |last2=Conger |first2=Kate |author-link2=Kate Conger |last3=Schleifer |first3=Theodore |date=2025-03-20 |title=Meet Steve Davis, Elon Musk's Top Lieutenant Who Oversees DOGE |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2025/03/20/technology/elon-musk-steve-davis-doge.html |access-date=2025-03-20 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250320110341/https://www.nytimes.com/2025/03/20/technology/elon-musk-steve-davis-doge.html| archive-date=March 20, 2025}}</ref><ref name="Bing">{{Cite web |last1=Bing |first1=Christopher |last2=Asher-Schapiro |first2=Avi |last3=Waldman |first3=Annie |date=2025-03-14 |title=Who's Running the DOGE Wrecking Machine: The World's Richest Man or a Little-Known Bureaucrat? |url=https://www.propublica.org/article/doge-leadership-elon-musk-amy-gleason-trump-ethics-conflict-of-interest |access-date=2025-03-17 |website=ProPublica |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web| title = Meet Steve Davis, Elon Musk's cost-cutting crusader at Doge| work = Firstpost | access-date = 2025-02-26| date = 2025-02-11| url = https://www.firstpost.com/explainers/steve-davis-elon-musk-cost-cutting-doge-boring-spacex-twitter-us-13862021.html}}</ref><ref name="McBride">{{cite news |last=McBride |first=Sarah |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-11-15/elon-musk-s-boring-co-is-run-by-a-former-bar-owner-who-can-quote-ayn-rand |title=Elon Musk's Boring Co. Is Run by a Former Bar Owner Who Can Quote Ayn Rand |work=Bloomberg News |date=15 November 2019 |access-date=10 December 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191210045125/https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-11-15/elon-musk-s-boring-co-is-run-by-a-former-bar-owner-who-can-quote-ayn-rand |archive-date=December 10, 2019 |url-status=live }}</ref> His methods are controversial, as "experts are worried that the focus on reducing expenses could lead to a breakdown in provision of essential [government] services."<ref>{{cite web |title=Who is Steve Davis? Meet the man Elon Musk has tasked with reducing expenses under DOGE |work=The Feed |via=The Economic Times |date=February 13, 2025 |access-date=2025-03-28 |url=https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/international/us/who-is-steve-davis-meet-the-man-elon-musk-has-tasked-with-reducing-expenses-under-doge/articleshow/118221738.cms }}</ref>
==Education== Davis graduated in 1997 from Sharon High School in Sharon, Massachusetts, where he was on the student government.<ref>{{cite book |url=https://archive.org/details/marsengold1997shar/page/24/mode/2up?q=davis |title=The Marsengold |publisher=Sharon High School |year=1997 |pages=20–21, 25}}</ref> He then earned a Bachelor of Applied Science in aeronautics, ''summa cum laude'', from the University of Pennsylvania, and a Bachelor of Economics, ''summa cum laude'', from the university's Wharton School in 2001.<ref name="Davis 2010-11-09" /> He went on to earn a Master of Science (M.S.) in elementary particle physics from the University of Durham in 2002, where he graduated with distinction, and a second Master of Science in aeronautics and astronautics from Stanford University in 2003.<ref name="Davis 2010-11-09" /> He joined SpaceX in 2003 after graduating.<ref name="Mac" /> While working at SpaceX and living in Washington DC, he obtained a Ph.D. in economics from George Mason University; he wrote his 2010 dissertation on U.S. currency debasement, under Richard E. Wagner.<ref name="Davis 2010-11-09">{{Cite thesis| last = Davis| first = Steven| title = The Trend Towards the Debasement of American Currency| access-date = 2025-04-01| date = 2010-11-09| hdl = 1920/6034| url = https://hdl.handle.net/1920/6034}}</ref>
==Career==
===SpaceX=== Davis began working for Elon Musk in 2003 at SpaceX, where he was the 14th hire. He was hired from the Stanford University graduate aeronautics program.<ref name="Mac" /> He worked on the guidance navigation and the control system of the Falcon 1, which he says "is a fancy way of saying make sure the rocket goes straight when it takes off".<ref name="Voices of America">{{Cite AV media| title = Voices of America: Rocket Scientist Steve Davis| access-date = 2025-04-02| date = 2012-10-26| time = 2:07| url = https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Buu9RsAQGTY}}</ref> He was Lead Systems Engineer for SpaceX Dragon.<ref name="Goddard">{{cite web |title=Steve Davis |work=Goddard Space Flight Center |date=December 15, 2008 |access-date=2025-03-28 |url=https://ecolloq.gsfc.nasa.gov/archive/2008-Fall/announce.davis.html }}</ref> In 2008, he was appointed to Director of advanced projects, and moved to Washington, D.C. where he was closer to NASA.<ref name="Mac" />
===Frozen Yogurt Stores=== While in Washington, Davis and some friends noted the lack of frozen yogurt stores in the city, and being a fan of the dessert opened one of its first shops, Mr. Yogato.<ref name="Sidman 2013-07-25">{{cite web |last=Sidman |first=Jessica |title=Game On: A Rocket Scientist Opens the Wackiest Bar in Washington |work=Washington City Paper |date=July 25, 2013 |access-date=2024-04-02 |url=https://washingtoncitypaper.com/article/354203/game-on-a-rocket-scientist-opens-the-wackiest-bar-in-washington/ }}</ref><ref name="Voices of America" /> He ran Mr. Yogato, as a side hustle, from 2008 to 2018.<ref name="Sidman">{{Cite web |last=Sidman |first=Jessica | title = Frozen Yogurt Shop Mr. Yogato Has Been Sold For $1 |work=Washingtonian | access-date = 2025-03-26| date = 2018-10-31| url = https://washingtonian.com/2018/10/31/frozen-yogurt-shop-mr-yogato-has-been-sold-for-1/}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web| title = Steve Davis To Succeed Elon Musk As Twitter CEO? What We Know| work = News18 | access-date = 2025-03-27| url = https://www.news18.com/business/steve-davis-to-succeed-elon-musk-as-twitter-ceo-what-we-know-7207549.html}}</ref> Davis, who wanted to create a "fun place", made up rules so that clients could earn a discount, for instance reciting the Braveheart speech or dressing up like Bjorn Borg or singing "I'm Too Sexy" with a Swedish accent.<ref name="Sidman 2013-07-25" /><ref>{{Cite web| title = Rules of Yogato {{!}} Earn discounts on your favorite yogurt | access-date = 2025-04-01| url = http://www.mryogato.com/rules.php}}</ref> Davis in 2013 also opened a bar in Washington called Thomas Foolery, another "fun place" concept.<ref name="Sidman 2013-07-25" /> It had gimmicks including selling liquor in mini-bottles, a bar menu of grilled cheese and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, and a candy dispensary. Each table had a board game, and the interior design was a kindergarten room decor for adults.<ref>{{Cite web| last = Sidman| first = Jessica| title = 12 Craziest Things About Thomas Foolery, Opening Wednesday| work = Washington City Paper | access-date = 2025-03-26| date = 2013-07-15| url = http://washingtoncitypaper.com/article/354289/12-craziest-things-about-thomas-foolery-opening-wednesday/}}</ref> The bar was one of the first places in DC to accept bitcoins.<ref>{{cite web |title=Who is Steve Davis, Elon Musk's likely choice for next Twitter CEO? |work=Firstpost |date=March 1, 2023 |access-date=2025-03-28 |url=https://www.firstpost.com/explainers/who-is-steve-davis-elon-musks-likely-choice-for-next-twitter-ceo-12226612.html }}</ref> In late 2018, he sold Mr. Yogato for $1, due to his increased responsibilities at The Boring Company.<ref name="Sidman" />
===Boring Company=== In 2018, Musk appointed Davis to lead the Boring Company.<ref name="Mac" /> At Boring, Davis gained a reputation for being so extremely frugal that any expense higher than about $200 required his personal approval, despite having over $800 million in capital.<ref name="McBride" />
===Twitter===
{{For|Twitter layoffs and mass resignations|Twitter under Elon Musk#Layoffs and mass resignations}}
After the acquisition of Twitter in 2022, Davis moved into the company's headquarters with his wife and newborn baby.<ref name="Kelly 2025-01-31"/> He was effectively a chief operating officer, along with James Musk (Elon's cousin) and Jared Birchall, who were responsible for cutting staff and expenses. Davis was responsible for the decision to charge for API access.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Murphy |first=Hannah | title = 'It's smoke and mirrors': Inside Elon Musk's ruthless cost-cutting drive at Twitter| work = Financial Post | access-date = 2025-04-01| url = https://financialpost.com/financial-times/elon-musk-twitter-cost-cutting-drive}}</ref>
Davis was tasked with reviewing finances at the San Francisco headquarters. One employee described him as "the grim reaper who only shows up for bad things."<ref>{{Cite web| last = Robison| first = Kylie| title = X all-hands leaves staff with few answers on delayed promotions| work = The Verge | access-date = 2025-03-31| date = 2024-06-13| url = https://www.theverge.com/2024/6/12/24172268/x-twitter-all-hands-linda-yaccarino-layoffs-promotions}}</ref> Davis asked the former vice-president of real estate to "find" $500 million in savings; when told that lease terminations incur fees, Davis said: "We just won't pay those [...] We just won't pay rent."<ref>{{Cite web |last=Baron |first=Ethan | title = Stanford grad leading Musk's 'DOGE' assault on federal agencies: Who is Steve Davis?| work = The Mercury News | access-date = 2025-03-26| date = 2025-02-12| url = https://www.mercurynews.com/2025/02/12/stanford-grad-musks-assault-federal-agencies-steve-davis/}}</ref> Davis gave the Twitter head of security the ultimatum to "cut the physical security budget by an additional 50 percent by midnight"; shortly after his refusal (it could violate court orders), Twitter fired him, and withheld his severance package while investigating his conduct.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Davis |first=Wes | title = Ex-Twitter security head claims the company fired him to flout regulations|date=6 December 2023 | access-date = 2025-04-01| url = https://www.theverge.com/2023/12/6/23991216/twitter-lawsuit-former-security-chief-regulation-ftc-consent-decree-eu-digital-services-act}}</ref> According to testimony, Davis refused to pay for the tools required to comply with the FTC.<ref>{{Cite web| last = Duffy| first = Clare| title = Former Twitter head of information security claims he was fired after raising concerns about cost cuts at Elon Musk's company | work = CNN| access-date = 2025-04-01| date = 2023-12-07| url = https://www.cnn.com/2023/12/07/tech/elon-musk-x-information-security-lawsuit/index.html}}</ref> Davis was tasked with renovating Twitter headquarters. In a lawsuit involving fraud, breach of contract, and labor-rights violations, a contractor testified that after being told that permits would be needed to Musk's restroom, Davis responded: "We don't do that; we don't have to follow those rules". He suggested hiring an unlicensed plumber instead.<ref>{{Cite web| last = Syme| first = Pete| title = Elon Musk wanted to build a bathroom next to his office at Twitter so he didn't have to wake up his bodyguards when he needed to pee in the night, lawsuit says| work = Business Insider| access-date = 2025-04-01| url = https://www.businessinsider.com/elon-musk-wanted-bathroom-at-twitter-to-avoid-waking-bodyguards-2023-5}}</ref> His wife, who works with Davis, suggested never to put anything in writing.<ref name="Kelly 2025-01-31">{{Cite magazine | last = Kelly| first = Makena| title = Elon Musk's Friends Have Infiltrated Another Government Agency| magazine = Wired |date=January 31, 2025 | issn = 1059-1028 | access-date = 2025-03-09| url = https://www.wired.com/story/elon-musk-lackeys-general-services-administration/| quote="After Musk bought Twitter, Hollander and Davis moved into the office with their newborn baby. Hollander helped oversee real estate and office design—including the installation of hotel rooms at Twitter HQ, according to a lawsuit later filed by Twitter executives. During the installation process, one of the executives emailed to say that the plans for the rooms were likely not code compliant. Hollander "visited him in person and emphatically instructed him to never put anything about the project in writing again," the lawsuit alleged. Employees were allegedly instructed to call the hotel rooms “sleeping rooms” and to say they were just for taking naps."}}</ref>
Davis left Twitter soon after complaints about his cost-cutting reached the CEO, Linda Yaccarino.<ref name="Kilander">{{Cite web |last=Kilander |first=Gustaf | title = Meet the cost-cutting engineer who runs the day-to-day operations of DOGE| work = The Independent | access-date = 2025-03-27| date = 2025-03-20| url = https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/doge-steve-davis-elon-musk-b2718981.html}}</ref>
=== Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) === {{See also|Department of Government Efficiency|Network of the Department of Government Efficiency}} In 2024, Davis oversaw America PAC, a Donald Trump-supporting super PAC that Musk had financially backed.<ref name="Mac" /> According to a ''New York Times'' investigation, Davis was involved in the scheme to pay people to sign a petition.<ref>{{Cite web| last1=Schleifer |first1=Theodor |title = Steve Davis, Top Elon Musk Lieutenant, Joins Trump Super PAC |work=The New York Times |date=8 October 2024 | access-date = 2025-03-28| url = https://www.nytimes.com/2024/10/08/us/politics/elon-musk-steve-davis-trump-super-pac.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250206223209/https://www.nytimes.com/2024/10/08/us/politics/elon-musk-steve-davis-trump-super-pac.html |archive-date=February 6, 2025 }}</ref>
Davis took part in the Musk "landing team" that interviewed candidates for the Department of Government Efficiency. ''The New York Times'' reported that Davis is "effectively the leader of DOGE", making major decisions without going through acting administrator Amy Gleason.<ref name="Mac" /><ref name="Bing" /> The ''Times'' reported that Davis led the effort to email all government employees at once, resulting in the "Fork in the Road" email, which contained a government-wide resignation offer.<ref name="Mac" />
Davis was reported to be an administrator of day-to-day operations at DOGE,<ref name="Bing" /><ref name="Elliott">{{Cite magazine |last=Elliott |first=Vittoria |title=WIRED Talked to a Fired DOGE Staffer About Who Was Really in Charge |url=https://www.wired.com/story/fired-doge-staffer-who-is-in-charge/ |access-date=2025-05-30 |magazine=Wired |language=en-US |issn=1059-1028}}</ref> and former DOGE staffer Sahil Lavingia described him as a chief of staff.<ref name="Elliott" /> Davis and his wife had a base in the General Services Administration (GSA) building with a full armed security detail.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Northey |first=Hannah |date=2025-03-06 |title=IKEA beds? Dressers? Inside the 'exceedingly odd' DOGE office setup |url=https://www.politico.com/news/2025/03/06/doge-federal-office-bedrooms-00216863 |access-date=2025-03-07 |website=Politico |language=en}}</ref><ref name="Mac" /> In mid-February, Davis ordered Social Security Administration (SSA) officials to onboard DOGE recruit Akash Bobba and grant him access to every bit of data, including source code.<ref name="Kilander" /> Davis lead a DOGE effort to migrate the SSA's over 60 million lines of source code developed in COBOL; Davis set the unlikely timeframe of only a few months, "risking benefits and system collapse," according to experts; the bug testing phase alone for such a large project normally taking many years.<ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Kelly |first=Makena |date=March 28, 2025 |title=DOGE Plans to Rebuild SSA Codebase in Months, Risking Benefits and System Collapse |url=https://www.wired.com/story/doge-rebuild-social-security-administration-cobol-benefits/ |magazine=Wired }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Deutscher |first=Maria |title=DOGE reportedly planning to rewrite Social Security Administration's software |work=SiliconANGLE |date=March 28, 2025 |access-date=2025-03-28 |url=https://siliconangle.com/2025/03/28/doge-reportedly-planning-rewrite-social-security-administrations-software/ }}</ref> Davis left DOGE at the end of May 2025.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/elon-musk-signals-his-time-leading-doge-is-coming-to-an-end/|title=Elon Musk leaving DOGE, but he'll continue to advise Trump, White House says|publisher=CBS News|date=May 29, 2025|accessdate=May 25, 2025}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last1=Dawsey |first1=Josh |last2=Ramachandran |first2=Shalini |date=May 29, 2025 |title=Elon Musk's Chief Lieutenant at DOGE Leaves Agency |url=https://www.wsj.com/us-news/steve-davis-leaves-doge-411a2d1b |access-date=2025-05-30 |website=The Wall Street Journal |language=en-US}}</ref>
Davis continued to assert control over the program after his official departure in May 2025, defying White House orders and prompting internal confusion and legal concerns.<ref name="Cai">{{Cite web |last=Cai |first=Sophia |title=DOGE lead Steve Davis did not go quietly |url=https://www.politico.com/news/2025/07/14/doge-lead-steve-davis-did-not-go-quietly-00452257 |access-date=2025-07-15 |website=Politico |date=14 July 2025 }}</ref> ''Politico'' reported that Davis held unauthorized meetings, installed allies as leaders, and removed dissenters, leading to resignations and dismissals across the initiative.<ref name="Cai" />
==Reputation== According to Adam Green, a longtime friend, Davis's "former Washington, D.C. apartment looked like a start-up, with a ping pong table and beverage machine to delight guests."<ref name="Green">{{Cite magazine| last = Green| first = Adam| title = My Old Friend Is Helping Elon Musk Destroy America| magazine = Rolling Stone | access-date = 2025-03-28| date = 2025-03-20| url = https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/political-commentary/trump-elon-musk-doge-steve-davis-friend-1235300013/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250323042004/https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/political-commentary/trump-elon-musk-doge-steve-davis-friend-1235300013/|archive-date=March 23, 2025}}</ref> However, Green said that Davis later changed from a "fun outside-the-box thinker" to a "blind servant" of Elon Musk.<ref name="Mac" /><ref name="Green" /> Jared Birchall remarked, "If Elon asked Steve to jump out of a window, he would do it."<ref>{{cite book |title=Character Limit: How Elon Musk Destroyed Twitter |page=134 |first1=Kate |last1=Conger |author-link1=Kate Conger |first2=Ryan |last2=Mac |author-link2=Ryan Mac |publisher=Penguin Press |location=New York |year=2024 |isbn=9780593656136 }}</ref> Musk himself told a group at Mar-a-Lago that nobody in the world was better than Davis at dismantling organizations, while acknowledging that he might not be the right person to build them. "Steve is like chemo," Musk said. "A little chemo can save your life; a lot of chemo could kill you."<ref>{{cite web |last=Swan |first=Jonathan |author-link=Jonathan Swan |title=How Elon Musk Executed His Takeover of the Federal Bureaucracy |work=The New York Times |date=February 28, 2025 |access-date=2025-03-20 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2025/02/28/us/politics/musk-federal-bureaucracy-takeover.html }}</ref> While numerous photos of Davis exist related to his "fun" enterprises in DC like the yogurt shop, after he became more deeply involved with Musk, he has attempted to stay out of public view, having mostly avoided having his picture taken.<ref name="Mac" />
==Personal life== Davis is married to Nicole Hollander. She worked with him at Twitter, and is working with him at DOGE. They have one child.<ref name="Kelly 2025-01-31" />
Davis is an advisor to the Atlas Society that promotes the philosophy of Ayn Rand.<ref>{{Cite web |last1=Korosec|first1=Kirsten|last2=Whittaker|first2=Zack|last3=Rollet|first3=Charles|last4=O'Kane|first4=Sean|last5=Franceschi-Bicchierai|first5=Lorenzo|date=2025-02-18 |title=Donald Trump picks Elon Musk for US government cost-cutting role |url=https://techcrunch.com/2025/02/18/the-people-in-elon-musk-doge-universe/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.today/20250218172050/https://techcrunch.com/2025/02/18/the-people-in-elon-musk-doge-universe/ |archive-date=2025-02-18 |access-date=2025-02-18 |work=TechCrunch }}</ref> In July 2012, he made a 45-minute presentation at the Atlas Summit on SpaceX and the future of space flight.<ref>{{Cite web| last1=Murphy |first1=Tim |title = Ayn Rand in Space | date = 2025-03-16| work= Mother Jones |url=https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2012/07/ayn-rand-elon-musk-spacex/ | access-date = 2025-03-27 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20250316105454/https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2012/07/ayn-rand-elon-musk-spacex/ |archive-date=2025-03-16 |url-status=live }}</ref>
==Publications==
In 2010, Davis submitted a thesis called ''The Trend Towards the Debasement of American Currency''. In it he argues that the debasement (rather the devaluation) of the currency since 1792 "occurred subtly due to ten discrete events". He supports that monetarist narrative using regression analysis.<ref name="Davis 2010-11-09" />
In 2012, Davis collaborated on the technical report entitled ''Red Dragon: Low-cost Access to the Surface of Mars using Commercial Capabilities''.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Karcz |first1=John |last2=Davis |first2=S. M. |last3=Aftosmis |first3=M. J. |last4=Allen |first4=G. A. |last5=Bakhtian |first5=N. M. |last6=Dyakonov |first6=A. A. |last7=Edquist |first7=K. T. |last8=Glass |first8=B. J. |last9=Gonzales |first9=A. A. |last10=Heldmann |first10=J. L. |last11=Lemke |first11=L. G. |last12=Marinova |first12=M. M. |last13=McKay |first13=C. P. |last14=Stoker |first14=C. R. |last15=Wooster |first15=P. D. |date=2012-06-12 |title=Red Dragon: Low-cost Access to the Surface of Mars using Commercial Capabilities |url=https://ntrs.nasa.gov/citations/20120013431 |journal=NASA |access-date=2025-04-08 |last16=Zarchi |first16=K. A.|volume=1679 |page=4315 |bibcode=2012LPICo1679.4315K }}</ref>
== See also == * United States federal government targets of Elon Musk
==References== {{Reflist}}{{United States Department of Government Efficiency|state=expanded}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Davis, Steve}} Category:Living people Category:Year of birth missing (living people) Category:21st-century American businesspeople Category:The Boring Company