Not Known For Political Coverage, Wired Takes A Leading Role In Tracking Elon Musk's Team

Shortly after becoming Wired's global editorial director in 2023, Katie Drummond acted on an early-morning idea. With a presidential election coming, the tech-focused news outlet needed a team to report on technology's intersection with politics.

She couldn't have predicted how much the decision would pay off.

Wired has attracted broad attention for its aggressive coverage of the Trump administration, particularly Elon Musk's efforts at reducing federal employment . It has identified and traced the backgrounds of Musk's young team and how they are burrowing their way into government operations.

"I think we were very well positioned to jump on that coverage," Drummond said.

Wired has written about a 25-year-old engineer, Marko Elez , and his access to the sprawling Treasury Department systems that make government payments. Its stories about 19-year-old Edward Coristine, nicknamed "Big Balls," included one about how he's on staff at a federal cybersecurity agency.