Elon Musk Reflects on the “Department of Government Efficiency” Initiative
Elon Musk, known for his leadership roles at Tesla, SpaceX, and social media platform X, recently shared insights on his involvement in the federal job-cutting program spearheaded during Donald Trump’s second term. Dubbed the “department of government efficiency” (Doge), Musk admitted the initiative was only “a little bit successful” and expressed reluctance to undertake such a project again.
In a discussion with podcast host Katie Miller, who has ties to the Doge project through her advisory role and her marriage to Stephen Miller, a former deputy chief of staff, Musk acknowledged: “We were a little bit successful. We were somewhat successful.”
The Doge initiative, which Musk led with an external team, resulted in significant disruption within Washington DC, leading to more than 200,000 federal workers being laid off and around 75,000 accepting buyouts by May. The group’s actions were aimed at cutting public expenditure, claiming billions in savings, though experts found these assertions difficult to verify due to insufficient public accounting.
Musk reflected on his time leading Doge, stating he would have preferred to focus on his companies, suggesting that such a focus might have prevented incidents like the vandalism of Tesla vehicles. “I think instead of doing Doge, I would have basically worked on my companies,” Musk said.
Despite the turbulence, including a public falling out and online disputes with Trump after stepping away from Doge, Musk remains undeterred by his experience in the government role. Doge, which was formally disbanded last month, operated under a mandate that was set to last several more months.
Musk also highlighted the ideological motivations behind Doge, which aligned with the Heritage Foundation’s Project 2025 and opposed certain liberal initiatives. During a conservative conference in February, Musk symbolically held a chainsaw to represent the cuts made to the federal budget.
Reflecting on whether he would lead a similar initiative again, Musk concluded: “No, I don’t think so. Knowing what I know now.”
In the aftermath of the Doge initiative, Tesla experienced a significant drop in stock value between January and March, though it has since recovered. Meanwhile, Musk’s SpaceX is preparing for a substantial initial public offering, potentially elevating the company’s valuation to over $1 trillion.
