Elon Musk is now at the helm of a major effort to revamp the federal government, but experts are already raising eyebrows about how far this new initiative can really go. The project, rebranded as the Department of Government Efficiency, took over a former White House digital office—a move that some say hints at its potential limits.

Originally, President Trump had tapped three billionaire allies—Elon Musk, Howard Lutnick, and Vivek Ramaswamy—to lead this ambitious cost-cutting mission. However, Lutnick stepped into a role at the Commerce Department, and Ramaswamy bowed out just before Trump’s inauguration. That leaves Musk, the richest person on the planet, as the sole leader of what Trump has called “‘The Manhattan Project’ of our time.”

So, what’s Musk’s plan? For starters, he’s taken over a small but critical White House office known as the United States Digital Service (USDS), which was originally created during the Obama administration to fix tech systems tied to healthcare reforms. The office has now been renamed the United States DOGE Service—a nod to Musk’s love of memes and cryptocurrency.

But Musk’s vision for the project seems narrower than some might have expected. Rather than launching a sweeping $2 trillion budget cut, the effort appears to focus more on technology and operations. Musk is reportedly reviewing the jobs of the roughly 200 employees in the office, and it’s unclear how many will stay on. This approach mirrors his strategy at Twitter, where he slashed about 80% of the workforce after taking over.

From this new position, Musk gains direct access to the inner workings of the federal bureaucracy. He’ll be based in the West Wing, close to Trump and key advisors, giving him a front-row seat to shape the government’s efficiency efforts. Meanwhile, his allies are also securing influential roles in the administration, like Amanda Scales, a former leader at Musk’s AI company, xAI, who is now chief of staff at the Office of Personnel Management.

While the project has potential, many are skeptical about whether Musk’s tech-focused approach can deliver on the massive promises Trump has made. Will it truly transform the government, or is it just another headline-grabbing move? Only time will tell.