Musk, a tech billionaire who was one of Trump's top donors and most vocal supporters during his campaign, has emerged as one of the president-elect's closest advisors. His outsized influence over Trump has led to growing consternation among Democrats, foreign leaders and business executives, some of whom compete with Musk's companies. Along with X, Musk runs vehicle maker Tesla, defense contractor SpaceX and brain tech startup Neuralink.

Krishnan will likely work closely with David Sacks, another tech executive who has a long history with Musk. Trump earlier this month named Sacks — a venture capitalist, former PayPal COO and popular podcaster — as "czar" of crypto and AI.