Elon Musk Reflects on DOGE Experience

In a recent interview, Elon Musk expressed a mix of pride and regret regarding his time with the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). He admitted that, while he achieved certain milestones, he would have preferred if the experience had been less controversial. Instead, he suggests that he would have liked to focus more on his own business endeavors.

Musk’s involvement with DOGE gained considerable attention earlier this year, especially when President Donald Trump appointed him to lead the initiative. At that point, Musk set an ambitious goal: to secure $2 trillion in savings for the government. However, that target was not met by the time he stepped down. During this period, he faced backlash from left-wing activists who targeted his Tesla products as protests against his association with the Trump administration grew.

On Katie Miller’s podcast, Musk was asked about the success of DOGE. He acknowledged that there had been some achievements but mentioned a significant amount of funding that had been canceled due to its inefficiency. Musk estimated that these so-called “zombie payments” amounted to between $100 billion and $200 billion annually.

When asked if he would choose to become involved with DOGE again, given what he knows now, Musk reflected, “I think I was basically building my own company. Even if things were going awry, the core of the business wouldn’t have burned to the ground.” Miller pointed out that Musk had sacrificed a lot for DOGE, to which he agreed, suggesting that any effort to redirect government funds could face severe opposition.

Overall, Musk seems to weigh the benefits and challenges he faced during that time, showing that even a high-profile figure like him grapples with the complexities of political involvement and corporate priorities.