Tech
Former DOGE employees give an inside look at the Elon Musk-led agency
Thanks to a lawsuit against DOGE, we are now getting an inside look at what happened at the government agency formerly led by Elon Musk and the type of people Musk hired to run it.
In May of last year, the American Council of Learned Societies (ACLS), the American Historical Association (AHA), and the Modern Language Association (MLA) filed a lawsuit in federal district court in an attempt to reverse DOGE's cuts to the the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH). These cuts eliminated entire divisions and programs, which included grants.
As a result of the lawsuit, two employees at DOGE, Justin Fox and Nate Cavanaugh were deposed. Videos of those hours-long depositions with Musk's DOGE employees have just been uploaded to YouTube.
So, how did Elon Musk's government agency determine what to cut? They asked ChatGPT.
“Does the following relate at all to DEI?” is the prompt DOGE regularly used, giving the AI chatbot further direction to make things as simple for them as possible, the employees revealed.
The DOGE employees inducted ChatGPT to provide a "yes" or "no" answer with an explanation that was shorter than 120 characters.
Most notably, but perhaps unsurprising, is just how uniformed the two DOGE employees appear to be. The two admit to being inexperienced, having zero experience in government before joining DOGE. Clips from the deposition uploaded by 404 Media have already gone viral on the internet showcasing how Fox struggles for some time in trying to define what DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) is yet they were tasked with defunding any programs that they deemed to be DEI.
Fox claimed that documentaries concerning Black civil rights or a film that focused on Jewish women in the Holocaust would be defunded by DOGE because both would be considered DEI.
Fox reasoned that these should be defunded because they focused on a "specific group or a specific race" and were "not for the benefit of humankind."
During the deposition, Fox provides a stunning omission that DOGE made in weeding out programs it decided were DEI.
DOGE would search programs and grants to cut using terms such as “Black," "gender," “LGBTQ+," and "equality." However, DOGE would not search for cuts from anything involving terms like "caucasian” and “heterosexual.”
In his deposition, Cavanaugh shared the labeling system he had for grants that DOGE was looking to cut such as "craziest." The DOGE worker labeled dozens of LGBTQ+ related grants with that designation.
Fox, Cavanaugh, and other DOGE workers were tasked with cutting trillions of dollars from the U.S. deficit by Elon Musk. DOGE managed to cut hundreds of billions of dollars. However, despite DOGE's cuts, the deficit increased. DOGE was disbanded in November 2025.
Investigations are now underway involving DOGE and its inexperienced employees hired by Musk. In one such new case, one DOGE employee allegedly lifted social security records, stored them on a USB drive, and took them to his next job in the private sector.
Fox made $150,000 while working with DOGE. Cavanaugh made $120,000.
SAVE 58%: As of March 13, you can get the Anker Solix (F2000) portable power station for $849, down from $1,999, at Amazon. That's a 58% discount or $1,150 savings.
We test a ton of portable power stations here at Mashable. While we regularly recommend models from brands like EcoFlow, Bluetti, Jackery, and DJI, Anker consistently remains a team favorite. And right now, Amazon's offering a pretty unbeatable deal on one of its most robust models.
As of March 13, you can get the Anker Solix (F2000) portable power station for $849, down from $1,999, at Amazon. That's a 58% discount or $1,150 savings.
The Anker Solix C1000 portable power station is everything you want for camping or a power outage
This power station features a 2048Wh capacity and 2400W of output, so it's totally capable of powering heavy-duty appliances like refrigerators, microwaves, and power tools. You'll get 12 total ports (including four AC outlets, three USB-C ports, and an exclusive RV plug) so you can charge just about everything you need at once. Plus, thanks to its GaNPrime technology and LiFePO4 batteries, it's designed to last over a decade with everyday use and can recharge from 0 to 80 percent in just 1.4 hours.
Bonus: it's super easy to transport thanks to built-in wheels and a retractable handle that rolls just like a suitcase.
We're on a mission to bring you free food deals on special occasions. When we took on this task, we were expecting a lot of planning and careful preparation to make sure we were across the handful of events that go live every year. In reality, we're actually inundated with these free giveaways. It turns out that leading stores don't need much of an excuse to throw free food your way.
The latest event is Pi Day, an annual celebration of the mathematical constant π. Pi Day takes place on March 14 since 3, 1, and 4 are the first three figures of π. On this special day, select pizza shops and stores across the country offer great discounts and freebies on pizza and pies.
We've checked out everything on offer from big names like Burger King, 7-Eleven, DoorDash, Papa John's, and more. We'll be updating this list with any new free food deals that drop over the weekend.
Pi Day 2026 food deals
7-Eleven
7-Eleven is offering any flavor of large pizza for just $3.14. 7Now app users can also snag a whole pizza for just $3.14 at participating 7Eleven, Speedway, and Stripes locations.
Anthony’s Pizza
Visit Anthony’s Coal Fired Pizza & Wings on Pi Day to score a 10-inch coal-fired cheese pizza for $3.14 with any beverage purchase. This offer is only available dine-in through 4 p.m. local time and you need to mention the offer when ordering.
BJ’s Restaurant and Brewhouse
BJ’s Restaurant and Brewhouse ise offering a full-size Pizookie Dessert for just $3.14 after the purchase of a large or shareable pizza on Pi Day. This offer is available for dine-in only.
Blaze Pizza
Blaze Pizza is offering a second pizza for $3.14 when you purchase any 11-inch pizza. You're limited to one pizza per person and it's only valid for in-restaurant orders.
Burger King
On Pi Day, you can grab a free slice of Hershey’s Sundae Pie or Cinnamon Apple Pie with any purchase of $3.14 or more at Burger King.
Cici’s Pizza
Cici’s Pizza is offering a BOGO on any pizza for $3.14 with the purchase of a medium or large one-topping pizza. There's a limit of one order per customer and it's only valid for carryout and dine-in.
DoorDash
DoorDash is offering multiple deals on March 14:
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Blaze Pizza: BOGO Simple Pie 11-inch cheese pizza
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Pizza Hut: BOGO medium or large Create Your Own Pizzas
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Sbarro Pizza: $4 off orders of $20 or more or $5 off orders of $25 or more (DashPass members only)
Famous Dave’s
Famous Dave’s is offering a free slice of Bakers Square pie with a purchase, online, in-app, and in-store orders on March 14.
Goldbelly
Get 31.4% off pizzas and pies on March 14.
Grand Traverse Pie Company
Grand Traverse Pie Company is offering a free slice of Michigan ABC Crumb Pie with any purchase.
Grimaldi’s Pizzeria
Score pizza slices for just $3.14 each.
Marco’s Pizza
Buy any regular menu-priced large or extra-large pizza, and you can get a medium one-topping pizza for $3.14 with the promo code PIDAY. This offer is available online or via the app.
Papa John's
Papa Rewards members can buy one large one-topping pizza at regular price and get a second one for just $3.14.
Pieology
Pieology Pies & Perks Rewards members can score a free cookie or fountain drink with a purchase of a Create Your Own Pizza, Calzone, or Salad. There’s a limit of one redemption per customer.
Round Table Pizza
Members of Round Table Pizza Rewards can get a one-topping personal-pan pizza for only $3.14 with the purchase of any large or XL pizza.
The Pizza Press
Get a Signature Pizza for $3.14 when you order in-app at The Pizza Press. There's a limit of one order per customer.
TCL 55-inch T7 QLED 4K TV
(save $209.99)
Hisense 65-inch U8 ULED 4K TV
(save $1,302)
Samsung 65-inch Q8F QLED 4K TV
(save $302)
The days of emptying your wallet to upgrade your TV are long gone. In 2026, there are plenty of premium TV options at reasonable prices — and you can find plenty of last year's models on sale this time of year.
I've rounded up three of the best TV deals I could find from some of our favorite brands heading into this weekend, with savings up to $1,300 (yes, really). Note that Amazon's list prices are often incorrect and we've referred to the original listings from each brand's website for accurate pricing. More often than not, you're actually saving even more money than Amazon lets on.
If a TV is on your tech upgrade list, check out these deals on some of our top picks from TCL, Samsung, and Hisense below.
Best TCL TV deal
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TCL's T7 lineup, released in late 2025, is quite the enigma. It's loaded with flagship-tier features, yet it comes with a price tag that won't scare you away. Even better, the 55-inch model is on sale for over $200 off — just one cent away from its all-time low price from Black Friday. With the T7, you'll get a quantum dot display with a native refresh rate of 144Hz, an AI processor that auto-optimizes color, contrast, and clarity for the ultimate picture, modern smart features through Google TV, and integrated Dolby Vision, HDR10+, Dolby Atmos, and Dolby Digital+ audio processing. Honestly, TCL should be charging a whole lot more for this TV, but we aren't complaining. Note that this discount is a Lightning deal at Amazon, so you'll have to act fast to secure the discount.
Best Hisense TV deal
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Hisense's U8 Mini LED TVs from 2025 are among the brightest TVs CNET (Mashable's sister site, also owned by Ziff Davis) reviewer Ty Pendlebury has ever tested. He also noted that their brightness is complemented with excellent contrast and well-saturated colors. In other words, it's a remarkably vibrant and colorful TV — a great choice for watching sports, getting lost in movies, and even immersing yourself in games. It packs a 165Hz native refresh rate, 5000 nits peak brightness, up to 5,600 local dimming zones, smart features and a streamlined interface through Google TV, and support for HDR in Dolby Vision, HDR10, HDR10+, and HLG. Usually the 65-inch model retails for a steep $2,199, but you can grab it this weekend for under $900.
Best Samsung TV deal
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Samsung's TV lineup is vast, but on the budget-friendly side of its QLED models stands the Q8F. It may not be the fanciest QLED, but its features are still pretty impressive. It combines a vibrant quantum dot display with a Q4 AI processor to upscale your content and integrated sensors to monitor ambient sound and auto-adjust for a top-notch listening experience. There's also a dedicated gaming dashboard featuring a 144Hz refresh rate, AMD FreeSync Premium VRR, and Motion Xcelerator Turbo+ for a buttery smooth, stutter-free performance. The 65-inch model typically hovers the $1,000 threshold, but it's currently down to its best price ever at Amazon — grab it for only $697.99 this weekend.
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