Welcome to The Hill's Technology newsletter {beacon} Technology Technology   The Big Story  Musk's cost-cutting panel headed for hurdles Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy are set to take the reins of the brand new “Department of Government Efficiency” (DOGE) under President-elect Trump, but face roadblocks. © Allison Robbert/Pool via AP “There’s the executive branch that might be in their way. The Congress might be in their way. The Constitution is a bit of an obstacle,” said Douglas Holtz-Eakin, president of American Action Forum, a right-leaning think tank.   “Other than that, clear sailing,” he told The Hill.    Trump announced Tuesday evening that the pair of tech entrepreneurs would jointly lead the panel, which will “provide advice and guidance from outside of Government.”     The panel created an official government account Wednesday on the social platform X — which is owned by Musk — writing, “Working overtime to ensure your tax dollars will be spent wisely!”    Musk and Trump previously discussed the prospect of a cost-cutting panel during the campaign, as the tech titan threw his support behind the Republican candidate with multimillion-dollar contributions to his own pro-Trump super PAC and amplifications of Trump’s message on X.   While DOGE is now set to become a reality, experts are skeptical about what it will actually be able to accomplish.    “It sounds to me like an outside commission that will give OMB recommendations on what they think should be done to improve government efficiency, and as such its powers are entirely advisory,” Holtz-Eakin said.   “They don’t have any authority to do anything other than say, ‘We think this will be good,’” he said. “Evidently, Mr. Musk has a lot of free time, and if he wants to waste it, that’s fine.”    Read more in a full report at TheHill.com.   Welcome to The Hill’s Technology newsletter, we're Julia Shapero and Miranda Nazzaro — tracking the latest moves from Capitol Hill to Silicon Valley.   Did someone forward you this newsletter? Subscribe here.   Essential Reads  How policy will be impacting the tech sector now and in the future:   Ramaswamy: ‘We want to go in and slash and burn that bureaucracy’ Vivek Ramaswamy, who landed a role alongside tech billionaire Elon Musk in President-elect Trump’s incoming administration as heads of the new “Department of Government Efficiency” (DOGE), discussed plans for the agency Wednesday. “We want to go in and slash and burn that bureaucracy to help Americans, stimulate the economy and to restore self-governance again,” Ramaswamy, a former Republican presidential candidate, …  Full Story   Musk’s bold plans for ‘Department of Government Efficiency’ face roadblocks Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy are set to take the reins of the brand new “Department of Government Efficiency” (DOGE) under President-elect Trump — a panel with bold ambitions of slashing government costs and restructuring federal agencies.  However, it is likely to face numerous roadblocks in its efforts to effect change in the next administration given its seemingly advisory role, experts said.  …  Full Story   Polymarket at center of political storm after reported FBI raid  Prediction betting market Polymarket and its founder and CEO Shayne Coplan have found themselves at the center of a debate about political betting after the FBI reportedly raided Coplan’s home on Wednesday. The FBI seized a cellphone and other electronic devices in a raid of Coplan’s New York City apartment early Wednesday, multiple media outlets reported, citing unnamed sources. Coplan turned over his devices and was …  Full Story   Musk: DOGE will be ‘tedious work’ with ‘zero’ compensation Elon Musk said in a post on the social platform X on Thursday that the brand new Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) — an advisory group under President-elect Trump focused on slashing government costs and restructuring federal agencies — will require “tedious work” with “zero” compensation. “Indeed, this will be tedious work, make lots of enemies & compensation is zero. What a great …  Full Story   The Refresh  News we've flagged from the intersection of tech and other topics:   FTC plans to probe Microsoft's cloud business The Federal Trade Commision (FTC) is preparing to launch an investigation into anti-competitive practices at Microsoft's cloud software business, The Washington Post reports.    Musk meets with Iran's U.N. ambassador Elon Musk met with Iran's ambassador to the United Nations this week to discuss reducing tensions between Iran and the U.S., The New York Times reports.    The Hill Jobs  Interested in exploring a new career? Visit The Hill Jobs Board to discover millions of roles worldwide, including:   Account Director Sr - Cloud Solutions — Lumen, California  Apply   Tax Manager - Accounting Methods and Periods - Washington National Tax — RSM US LLP, Washington, D.C. Apply Senior Business Information Risk Manager — Amazon.com, Newark, N.J. Apply   Private Client Financial Advisor — Citizens, Washington, D.C.  Apply   Click here to get your job mentioned   What Others are Reading  Two key stories on The Hill right now: Pressure mounts on Ethics Committee to release Gaetz report Pressure is building on the House Ethics Committee to release its findings on former Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.), who President-elect Trump said he will … Read more McCarthy says Gaetz won’t get confirmed: ‘Everyone knows that’ Former Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) predicted Wednesday that former Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.), President-elect Trump’s pick for attorney general, … Read more   What Others are Reading  Opinions related to tech submitted to The Hill: What is and isn’t concerning about China’s AI surprise We’ve lost control of political text messaging — here’s how we can rein it in      You're all caught up. See you tomorrow!  Close Thank you for signing up! Subscribe to more newsletters here The latest in politics and policy. 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