Elon Musk, the big boss of Tesla and SpaceX, recently shared his thoughts on his short-lived role heading up a government efficiency program called Doge. He wasn't too happy about it. In a chat with Katie Miller, a well-known conservative figure, Musk said the program was only "somewhat successful. " He even admitted he wouldn't take on the job again if he had the chance.
The Doge program was supposed to make the government run better by cutting jobs and saving money. But it caused a lot of trouble. Over 200, 000 federal workers lost their jobs, and about 75, 000 took buyouts. Musk's team claimed they saved billions, but experts couldn't verify these numbers. It turned out the savings weren't as big as Musk and former President Donald Trump had promised.
Musk eventually stepped back from Doge, and the program was quietly shut down. During the podcast, Musk said he would have been better off focusing on his companies instead of taking on the government role. He mentioned that his companies faced some backlash, like vandalism at Tesla dealerships, after he joined Doge.
Musk also talked about the political side of things. The Doge program was criticized for targeting liberal initiatives like refugee services and transgender rights. Despite the controversy, Musk said he wasn't too disappointed with his time in government. He even joked that he wasn't "super illusioned" to begin with.
In the end, Musk made it clear he wouldn't repeat the experience. He said, "No, I don't think so. Knowing what I know now. " It's a honest reflection from a man who's used to taking on big challenges.
