Wiles recalls confronting Musk directly, saying, “You can’t just lock people out of their offices.” Initially, she didn’t fully appreciate the significant impact that cutting USAID programs would have on humanitarian efforts. “I wasn’t fully aware of the breadth of their grant-making activities,” she admitted. However, the suspension of immunization programs in Africa quickly highlighted the dire consequences, as lives were at stake. She soon received urgent calls from leaders of relief organizations and former government officials, all emphasizing the gravity of the situation: thousands of lives were on the line.
Wiles continued, “So, Marco was en route to Panama, and we reached out to him, saying, ‘Given your Senate confirmation, you need to step in as the custodian of USAID.’ He simply responded, ‘Okay.'” Despite these interventions, Musk proceeded with determination. “Elon’s philosophy is about speed and efficiency. If you take an incremental approach, you’re never getting your rocket to the moon,” Wiles explained. “With that mindset, some things are bound to get disrupted. But realistically, no one could argue that the USAID process was effective as it stood. No one.”
