Elon Musk‘s time with the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) has come to an end after his very public dispute with Donald Trump. Now, he has reflected on his journey so far with the agency. Right after Donald Trump began his second term as the POTUS, the Tesla owner was hired to head DOGE, an agency formed to cut back on federal funding.
Musk became a “special government employee” and the head of the Department of Government Efficiency. It is important to keep in mind that at that time, he was a close friend of Donald Trump. However, their relationship grew sour over time, after the Tesla owner slammed Trump’s “big, beautiful bill.”
Absolutely surreal to interview one of the greatest minds of our time, a friend, and boss.
Thank you, @elonmusk 🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸pic.twitter.com/vbYlZTTaBf
— Katie Miller (@KatieMiller) December 9, 2025
However, recently, Elon Musk clarified that his dispute with POTUS was not the reason behind his departure from the role of DOGE head. He later tweeted, “As my scheduled time as a Special Government Employee comes to an end, I would like to thank President @realDonaldTrump for the opportunity to reduce wasteful spending. The @DOGE mission will only strengthen over time as it becomes a way of life throughout the government.”
Despite his explanation right after his exit, critics believed otherwise. At the same time, while Musk had high hopes, the agency’s mission hasn’t really “strengthened over time”. Instead, the whole department ceased to exist quietly in November, which is at least eight months earlier than initially planned.
This revelation came after Reuters reached out to White House about the status of DOGE. In response, Office of Personnel Management Director Scott Kupor informed last month that “that doesn’t exist.” He also added that the agency is no longer a “centralized entity.”
The @elonmusk episode:
0:00 — Introduction
1:13 — How DOGE Began
2:22 — Has DOGE Been Successful?
3:51 — Would Elon Do DOGE Again?
5:40 — Importing Illegal Immigrants
7:00 — Thoughts on Ilhan Omar
7:56 — AI and Robots Replacing Jobs
9:59 — Elon’s Biggest Irrational Fear
10:17 —… pic.twitter.com/AaXsKQ5On0
— The Katie Miller Podcast (@katiemillerpod) December 9, 2025
Following the DOGE disbandment, Elon Musk reflected on the matter during a podcast with Katie Millar. He was asked if he thinks that the department was successful. To which he replied, We were a little bit successful. We were somewhat successful. I mean, we stopped a lot of funding that just really made no sense and was entirely wasteful.”
“Would you do DOGE again, knowing what you know now?” Miller asked. “Instead of doing DOGE, I would have worked on my companies,” replied Musk, instead of directly saying “no.”
He also went on to say that protestors “wouldn’t have been burning the cars” if he hadn’t headed DOGE. He was referring to the many protests that broke out in front of Tesla outlets during his time at the agency. Some protests turned violent, with the car models being set on fire and dealerships being vandalized.
