Featured Image Credit: Andrew Harnik / Staff / Getty
Elon Musk's desk setup has led to many questions after he posted it on social media, as everyone seems to have pointed out the same awkward detail in his new Department of Government Efficiency home.
Having offered significant support to now-President Donald Trump during the election campaign trail, Elon Musk was swiftly rewarded with a role as head of the newly instated Department of Government Efficiency, otherwise known as 'DOGE'.
This fresh private advisory board has been tasked with cutting significant spending from the federal budget and reducing bureaucracy as much as possible, and in the few months since Trump became president it's certainly dominated the headlines.
Mass job cuts, entire departments wiped out, and even threats of national security. DOGE has even been ordered to rehire employees in a key department after a judge called the budget cuts 'unconstitutional' in how they were enacted.
Advert
While the Department has a team doing much of the dirty work - albeit one that's shrunk due to mass resignations in protest - it's leader Musk has shown off his very own office, and it's not quite what you might expect.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) March 20, 2025
Located inside the White House but a fair distance away from the Oval Office, Musk's desk setup features a rather anachronistic mix of old grandeur and new technology, with many pointing out his somewhat 'inappropriate' choice of working devices.
"Elon's office?? That is nice," points out one user in the replies, subsequently questioning: "But the computer looks old, or powerful."
That's very much the beginning to the puzzle of Elon's office, as that user is most probably correct in their final assessment. Looking closely, you can spot the PC's silver case, illuminated by a white LED inside.
Importantly, you can aso spot that the PC has a graphics card inside - something that you would typically see in gaming-focused machines and not a government issued one - and that lines up more with the rest of the desk.
Many people in the replies have called on AI assistant Grok to provide the specs for the PC setup, while also enquiring about the mouse and keyboard which are notably wired.
The elephant in the room is undoubtedly the ultrawide curved monitor, which like the PC is definitely from the world of gaming - although there are definitely productivity benefits to having a far wider screen.
Everyone knows ultra wide monitors are for gaming and not work. You better not be playing on government time.
— Mediocre Ape (@MediocreApe0) March 20, 2025
"Everyone knows ultra wide monitors are for gaming and not work," writes a concerned individual in the replies, adding: "You better not be playing on government time."
Musk is certainly known for his love of gaming, even if that has led to him cheating his way up to the top of the leaderboards, so who knows if he's the first person to play some Diablo or Path of Exile in the White House.
Generally though, the concern seems to be regarding how ugly the setup is as a whole. "You need an interior designer," one remark claims, whereas another jokes that "you'd hope a billionaire could afford a cable tidy."
My bedside table pic.twitter.com/sIdRYJcLTK
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 28, 2022
This isn't the first time that Musk's living arrangements have caused controversy on social media though, as a previous post sharing his bedside table was also a bit strange.
Four empty zero sugar Coke cans, an American independence-themed musket, and a bulky modern revolver were Musk's bedside accompaniments, and the excess of marks left by previous coke cans can perhaps join the messy cables in showing an untidy side to his life.
