Elon Musk said AI should take over many of the jobs done by federal workers, once again calling the US government “a bloated mess.”
Elon made the comments on Sunday during a private discussion with Michael Milken at the Milken Institute Global Conference in Beverly Hills, according to Bloomberg. He said the government is inefficient and artificial intelligence could do those jobs faster, better, and without wasting taxpayer money.
Elon’s remarks came while he was talking about the end of his role running DOGE — the Department of Government Efficiency.
Elon begins to pull out of Washington role
Elon took this role as a volunteer, working inside the White House for over 100 days, even setting up what he calls a “micro-office” in the West Wing. “It has a window, but all you see is, like, an HVAC unit,” Elon told reporters from the Roosevelt Room. “Which is fine because it’s harder to shoot me. There’s not a good line of sight.”
He’s allegedly slept in the Lincoln Bedroom, grabbed Haagen-Dazs ice cream from the White House freezer, and played Diablo and Path of Exile from his government office. Elon said he never asked to stay overnight.
“We’ll be on Air Force One or Marine One and he’s like, ‘Hey, do you want to stay over?’ I’m like, ‘Sure,’ and he sends me to the Lincoln Bedroom.”
Even Elon sounded surprised by how deep he got into government. “How did we get here?” he asked while briefing the press about his 100-day stint. He laughed, then continued explaining what he’d done under DOGE — a program that’s caused chaos in dozens of agencies.
Elon claimed DOGE had saved $160 billion in government spending, but no documents have backed that up. He said he also stopped fraudulent loan attempts from people filing fake Small Business Administration requests under children’s names. Elon funded Trump’s reelection campaign last year with roughly $250 million. That opened doors.
DOGE triggered mass firings and lawsuits
Inside DOGE, Elon led teams that dug through government budgets, audited data, and fired federal employees. Tens of thousands of workers have been let go or resigned. Entire agencies have been cut to the bone.
Critics say the cuts have left people exposed to weather disasters, public health problems, and weakened America’s power abroad. China has taken advantage of that vacuum, especially in countries where US influence used to be stronger.
The program has also sparked lawsuits. Government workers are suing over job losses, saying the firings were rushed and often illegal. Protesters have attacked Tesla cars and dealerships in multiple states. Donald Trump, now back in the White House, said those attacks were unacceptable and claimed Elon was being treated unfairly.
Despite everything, Elon is not completely stepping away. He said he plans to cut down his time from seven days a week to just one or two. Trump told him at a cabinet meeting, “You’re invited to stay as long as you want.”
During the same meeting, Elon gave what sounded like a goodbye. “I would just like to say thank you, everyone,” he told the room.
Outside of DOGE, Elon still runs Tesla, SpaceX, and Neuralink. But he’s under pressure to return his full attention to Tesla. Sales are down and investors are pissed.
On Tesla’s most recent earnings call, Elon said, “I’ll spend far more of my time at Tesla starting in May.” After a report said Tesla’s board was hunting for a new CEO, Tesla chair Robyn Denholm jumped on X to deny it. She wrote, “Absolutely false.”
DOGE has even leaked into Congress. Members in both the House and Senate have formed caucuses under the same name. The name, which started as a meme coin, has somehow become part of official Washington politics.
Elon laughed about it. “Doesn’t the absurdity of that seem, like, are we in a simulation here? Or what’s going on?” he said. “Doesn’t it seem absurd?”
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