The US Agency for International Development (USAID) has been shut down following President Donald Trumps decision to merge it with the State Department. The move resulted in mass layoffs, drawing both criticism and support.

Elon Musk criticized USAID as a criminal organization amid Trump’s efforts to shut it down. Indian CEO Aravind Srinivas challenged Musk, claiming he secured $500B in funding from USAID, which assists international humanitarian efforts and is targeted for spending cuts by both Musk and Trump.

Perplexity AI CEO Aravind Srinivas often engages in witty and entertaining interactions with Elon Musk on X. His latest share came amid the DOGE vs USAID row.

As part of their effort to streamline government, Elon Musk and his Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) have proposed using artificial intelligence to identify waste and fraud, but those efforts have been secretive to date.

Democratic leaders from the House and Senate introduced the "Stop the Steal" Act, which aims to curtail the accessibility of Elon Musk's DOGE to the Treasury Department's payments systems.