Musk Deems DOGE Leadership Somewhat Successful, Regrets Role

Elon Musk, the chief executive of Tesla and SpaceX, stated in a recent podcast interview that his leadership of the Department of Government Efficiency was only somewhat successful and that he would not take on the role again if given the chance.

Musk made the comments during a more than 50-minute conversation on the Katie Miller Podcast, hosted by his former aide who served as a spokeswoman for the agency. The discussion, recorded earlier this week, covered Musk's experience with the Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, a temporary initiative established early in President Donald Trump's second term to identify and reduce federal spending and streamline operations. Musk led the effort for its first five months, aiming to cut the government's budget and workforce through measures such as improved automation and the elimination of wasteful expenditures.

Describing the challenges of reforming the federal government, Musk told Miller, "We were a little bit successful. We were somewhat successful." He credited the agency with preventing up to $200 billion in annual "zombie payments," which he described as erroneous or outdated federal payouts that could be avoided with...