Key Takeaways
- Musk claims 14 US government computers can create money from nothing.
- Jameson Lopp responded by stating, 'Bitcoin fixes this.'
- Musk says government waste stems from incompetence rather than fraud.
In a March 17 episode of Verdict with Ted Cruz, Musk stated that at least 14 government computers across departments like Treasury, Defense, and Health and Human Services can create and send payments without clear oversight.
Musk said:
You may think that the government computers all talk to each other, they’re synchronized, they add up what funds are going where, and it’s coherent. But they’re probably off by 5% or 10% in some cases. So I call it ‘magic money computer’—any computer that can make money out of thin air.
Response from Jameson Lopp
Jameson Lopp, chief security officer at Bitcoin custody firm Casa, responded to Musk’s claim, saying simply:
Bitcoin fixes this.
Government waste & incompetence
Musk also revealed that some government departments have more media, software subscriptions, and credit cards than they do employees—sometimes double.
He believes 80% of these cases stem from waste and incompetence rather than fraud, citing instances where money was mistakenly sent to companies without the government attempting to recover it.
Musk explained:
We saw a lot of payments going out of Treasury that had no payment code and no explanation. Some contracts were supposed to be shut off, but they weren’t, so companies kept getting paid.
Backlash against Dogecoin Foundation
Meanwhile, Musk’s cost-cutting efforts at Dogecoin Foundation (DOGE) have sparked backlash, with Tesla facilities reportedly being vandalized as part of a broader protest against DOGE-related budget cuts.
