Sources tell WIRED that the OPM’s top layers of management now include individuals linked to xAI, Neuralink, the Boring Company, and Palantir. One expert found the takeover reminiscent of Stalin.

The Trump administration announced Tuesday that it would begin subjecting all federal employees to “enhanced standards of suitability and conduct” and warned of future downsizing, while offering buyouts to those who opt to leave their jobs by next week — an unprecedented move to dramatically shrink the U.