A former SpaceX software engineer is now in the Interior Department’s top information technology post, filling the vacancy created when IT officials left the agency after a dispute with members of the Elon Musk-led downsizing team.
Paul McInerny is the agency’s new chief information officer, according to two Interior staffers familiar with the situation, who were granted anonymity because they are not authorized to discuss the matter publicly.
McInerny’s hiring was first reported by the publication NextGov. An Interior spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment.
The move comes in the wake of a standoff between senior IT leaders at Interior and employees affiliated with the so-called Department of Government Efficiency headed by Musk.
