Apple Cofounder Criticizes DOGE Mass Layoffs and Affords Recommendation

• Steve Wozniak mentioned DOGE’s mass firings are a nasty enterprise tactic.
• Wozniak mentioned DOGE ought to strategy cost-cutting “extra surgically, with a scalpel as a substitute of a sledgehammer.”
• 1000’s of federal employees have been fired in latest weeks as DOGE has ramped up cost-cutting efforts.

Steve Wozniak, the cofounder of Apple, is not a fan of how DOGE is tackling cost-cutting within the federal authorities.

Wozniak mentioned that whereas he helps searching for inefficiencies, he doesn’t suppose Elon Musk and DOGE’s efforts to slash the federal workforce are the suitable strategy.

“Mass firings — not good for a enterprise to run that method,” he mentioned in a dialog with CNBC on Wednesday. The Apple co-founder suggested the group to be extra strategic, saying that DOGE ought to act “extra surgically, with a scalpel as a substitute of a sledgehammer.”

Federal businesses have fired 1000’s of staff in latest weeks and provided conflicting steerage on the terminations.

The Apple cofounder is not outwardly political — he advised CNBC that he determined to not vote when he was 18 — however did signal his identify to a listing of enterprise leaders supporting former Vice President Kamala Harris through the election.

Voting report apart, Wozniak mentioned he is “on the unsuitable aspect of Elon” after criticizing Tesla prior to now. The White Home has repeatedly mentioned that Musk is not formally working DOGE, although Trump mentioned in a speech on Tuesday evening that the group “is headed by Elon Musk,” and lots of see him because the practical chief.

Trump’s remark was flagged as a part of an current lawsuit towards DOGE shortly after the speech ended.

Wozniak is not the one enterprise character who has criticized DOGE —billionaire entrepreneur Mark Cuban has written concerning the group on Bluesky, a social media web site that rivals Musk’s X. Cuban mentioned that DOGE will “inevitably” create a large number in a single publish and known as its efforts “not so sensible” in one other. Some administration specialists have had selection phrases for DOGE’s early techniques, beforehand telling BI that the group has been “clumsy” and “wrongheaded” up to now.

Representatives for the White Home, DOGE, and Wozniak didn’t reply to BI’s request for remark.