The drama offers a case study in how Elon Musk’s team sought to run a critical government agency through misinformation and social media blasts — and how longtime employees responded.

© Illustration by Anthony Gerace; Photographs by Sara Stathas, Adriana Zehbrauskas, and Eric Lee for The New York Times

As Elon Musk leaves Washington, the team he formed to ferret out waste and abuse won dual victories in the Supreme Court.

© Tom Brenner for The New York Times