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 US 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 yearly by slashing federal jobs and shuttering government programs, among other cost-cutting measures.
Doge's website, which was last updated on October 4, claims to have saved an estimated $214 billion so far this year.
Conservative podcast host Miller, a former White House adviser herself, asked Musk whether he would do his work for the organization again if he could rewind to the start of the year. Musk replied, 'I mean no, I don't think so.' Instead, he said he would have 'worked in my companies, essentially', referencing a series of vandalism attacks on Tesla showrooms and vehicles earlier this year in response to his prominent political role in the Trump administration.
Musk's involvement in US politics sparked global protests and boycotts against Tesla, and led to a spike in vandalism of Tesla's Cybertruck vehicles. In April, the firm said sales had fallen to their lowest level in three years and warned investors that 'changing political sentiment' could continue to hurt demand.
But Musk said he believed Doge had been 'a little bit successful, we were somewhat successful'. 'You really want the least amount done by government as possible,' he explained, adding that Doge had 'stopped a lot of funding that really just made no sense'.
Musk told Miller that Doge, which was created by an executive order on Trump's first day back in the White House, was a 'made-up' name based on internet suggestions. The advisory group tackled Musk's vision at a fierce pace, pushing for massive reductions in the federal workforce and shuttering agencies like the US Agency for International Development (USAID).
Some of Doge's moves faced legal challenges, and when the group's cost-cutting resulted in bird flu officials at the US Department of Agriculture being fired, the Trump administration quickly sought to rehire them.
Musk's time at the helm of Doge not only caused issues for his businesses but also led to an explosive falling-out with Trump. Musk, known for donating millions to the Trump campaign, found himself at odds with the president in June when he criticized a Trump-supported spending bill. Their relationship deteriorated publicly on social media, but it seems to have mended as Musk was recently spotted at a White House dinner and expressed positive remarks about Trump. "image": "https://static.files.bbci.co.uk/bbcdotcom/web/20251203-121739-f954f14c69-web-2.35.1-2/grey-placeholder.png"
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 yearly by slashing federal jobs and shuttering government programs, among other cost-cutting measures.
Doge's website, which was last updated on October 4, claims to have saved an estimated $214 billion so far this year.
Conservative podcast host Miller, a former White House adviser herself, asked Musk whether he would do his work for the organization again if he could rewind to the start of the year. Musk replied, 'I mean no, I don't think so.' Instead, he said he would have 'worked in my companies, essentially', referencing a series of vandalism attacks on Tesla showrooms and vehicles earlier this year in response to his prominent political role in the Trump administration.
Musk's involvement in US politics sparked global protests and boycotts against Tesla, and led to a spike in vandalism of Tesla's Cybertruck vehicles. In April, the firm said sales had fallen to their lowest level in three years and warned investors that 'changing political sentiment' could continue to hurt demand.
But Musk said he believed Doge had been 'a little bit successful, we were somewhat successful'. 'You really want the least amount done by government as possible,' he explained, adding that Doge had 'stopped a lot of funding that really just made no sense'.
Musk told Miller that Doge, which was created by an executive order on Trump's first day back in the White House, was a 'made-up' name based on internet suggestions. The advisory group tackled Musk's vision at a fierce pace, pushing for massive reductions in the federal workforce and shuttering agencies like the US Agency for International Development (USAID).
Some of Doge's moves faced legal challenges, and when the group's cost-cutting resulted in bird flu officials at the US Department of Agriculture being fired, the Trump administration quickly sought to rehire them.
Musk's time at the helm of Doge not only caused issues for his businesses but also led to an explosive falling-out with Trump. Musk, known for donating millions to the Trump campaign, found himself at odds with the president in June when he criticized a Trump-supported spending bill. Their relationship deteriorated publicly on social media, but it seems to have mended as Musk was recently spotted at a White House dinner and expressed positive remarks about Trump. "image": "https://static.files.bbci.co.uk/bbcdotcom/web/20251203-121739-f954f14c69-web-2.35.1-2/grey-placeholder.png"
