Elon Musk says he would not lead the Department of Government Efficiency (Doge) if he had his time again, but has maintained that its tumultuous efforts to shrink the size of the U.S. government under President Donald Trump was a little bit successful.
The billionaire boss of Tesla and SpaceX gave his reflections during a nearly-hour-long interview on The Katie Miller Podcast on Tuesday.
Musk left Doge in May after initially promising to save as much as $2 trillion a year by slashing federal jobs and shutting down government programs, among other cost-cutting measures.
Doge's website claims to have saved an estimated $214 billion so far this year.
During the interview, Musk stated, I mean no, I don't think so, when asked if he would lead Doge again. He expressed a preference to stay focused on his companies, referencing several political and operational challenges he faced during his time at Doge.
Musk's involvement in U.S. politics sparked global protests and boycott calls against Tesla, influencing sales and even leading to vandalism targeting Tesla vehicles. Nevertheless, he asserted that Doge had been somewhat successful in its mission.
He elaborated that the goal was to limit government intervention, noting that Doge was responsible for stopping funding deemed unnecessary.
Created by an executive order on Trump's first day back in the White House, Doge worked aggressively to reduce federal workforce size and suspend programs, sometimes encountering legal challenges along the way.
Despite the turbulence, Musk seemed to have mended his relationship with Trump, even speaking appreciatively of his humor in the interview.
