WIRED reported on March 11, 2025, that four people familiar with Elon Musk’s position said he favored a government shutdown in part because it could make federal job cuts easier. The report relied on anonymous sources; Musk did not publicly announce such a plan in the account, and the alleged motive has not been independently established. The phrase “something dark” was Futurism’s framing, not a substantiated description of a secret motive.
What WIRED reported about Musk and a shutdown
WIRED’s March 11, 2025, story said four people familiar with Musk’s position described him as favoring a shutdown. An unnamed Republican familiar with the situation told WIRED, “A shutdown has been his preference.” WIRED interpreted the possible workforce consequences as part of the reason for that preference; the sources’ account is an allegation, not a verified statement of Musk’s personal motive. WIRED’s original report
The story appeared as Congress approached a federal funding deadline. At the time, WIRED reported that President Donald Trump was urging House Republicans to support a continuing resolution that would keep the government funded through the fall, while sources described Musk as favoring a shutdown. Those were positions reported during that 2025 funding dispute, not statements about current policy or shutdown status. WIRED
Futurism’s headline called the motive “something dark.” That is an editorial characterization. The underlying reporting instead described a potential connection between a shutdown and efforts to reduce the federal workforce; it did not establish a hidden motive or show that Musk’s alleged preference caused a shutdown. Futurism’s summary
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Why a shutdown could affect federal jobs
When funding lapses, agencies follow contingency plans. Employees whose work is not excepted may be furloughed, while some functions continue. WIRED quoted Office of Personnel Management guidance describing excepted work as activity involving “the safety of human life or the protection of property or the performance of certain other types of ‘excepted work activities.’” Which employees are furloughed or continue working depends on agency plans and job duties. WIRED
WIRED placed the shutdown discussion in the context of DOGE workforce cuts and executive-branch efforts to reduce staffing. It cited overlap between the focus on employees deemed nonessential and shutdown classifications, and quoted University of Minnesota law professor Don Moynihan on that connection. That context helps explain why a shutdown might be seen as affecting staffing, but it does not prove the alleged motive. A State Department employee who asked to remain anonymous told WIRED, “There are concerns anyone deemed nonessential will be DOGE’d.” WIRED
Furlough is not the same as being laid off
A furlough during a funding lapse is not automatically a termination. WIRED discussed a possible relationship between extended furloughs and reduction-in-force procedures, but said it was unclear how those processes would apply in an unprecedented shutdown lasting beyond 30 days. Nick Bednar, professor at the University of Minnesota School of Law, told WIRED, “We are in uncharted territory. There is not a lot of case law discussing how agencies should apply emergency furloughs.” WIRED
Bednar also said, “I suspect the greatest impact of a long-term shutdown is that it will encourage federal employees to leave public service sooner rather than later.” That is an expert’s assessment of a possible long-term effect, not proof that furloughed workers would automatically be dismissed after a set number of days. WIRED
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Historical figures show scale, not a forecast
The figures WIRED cited illustrate possible exposure and past economic disruption. They do not predict the consequences of a future shutdown.
| Figure | What it describes |
|---|---|
| About 850,000 potentially furlough-eligible workers, including about 410,000 outside the Department of Defense | A 2023 Partnership for Public Service scenario estimate based on agency contingency plans, as reported by WIRED. It is not a count of workers actually furloughed. WIRED |
| $18 billion in delayed federal spending and an $8 billion reduction in projected real GDP in the first quarter of 2019 | Congressional Budget Office retrospective estimates for the 35-day 2018–19 shutdown, quoted by WIRED; not a forecast for another shutdown. WIRED |
| About $340 billion in annual federal personnel costs; roughly $110 billion a year associated with eliminating the approximately one-third designated nonessential | WIRED’s approximate calculations and characterization in its 2025 report, not independently verified current budget figures. WIRED |
WIRED described the roughly $110 billion estimate as far below Musk’s stated $1 trillion federal-spending target. The comparison was part of the article’s 2025 context, not an updated accounting of federal spending or a prediction of savings from a shutdown. WIRED
Quick Recap
What the report does—and does not—establish
- It establishes that WIRED reported an alleged preference based on four people familiar with Musk’s position, speaking anonymously.
- It reports a possible connection to making federal job cuts easier; it does not establish that Musk publicly announced this preference or prove his motive independently.
- It describes contingency plans under which some employees may be furloughed and some work continues, with effects varying by agency and role.
- It does not establish that furlough automatically becomes termination at 30 days, or settle how a shutdown exceeding that duration would affect all workers.
- Its deadline and political positions refer to the March 2025 dispute; they do not establish current positions or whether the government is currently facing a shutdown.
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