Musk "regrets" getting involved in politics: DOGE is barely a success, but if he could do it again, he wouldn't take it on

Elon Musk admitted that the "Department of Government Efficiency" (DOGE), which he led during Trump's second term, only achieved "limited success." He stated that, given the negative impact the project had on Tesla's business, he would not take on this public office again if he could do it over, choosing instead to focus on his own business operations.

Musk candidly expressed during a podcast on Tuesday that holding this position led to severe backlash for both him and Tesla. He pointed out that aggressive political rhetoric and government spending cuts sparked public discontent, even leading to Tesla vehicles being vandalized in many parts of the country. He believes that if he had focused on business operations instead of participating in the DOGE project, these attacks on his company could have been avoided.

This statement directly addresses long-standing concerns in the capital markets. Previously, investors widely questioned whether Musk's work with DOGE severely distracted him from Tesla, especially against the backdrop of the electric vehicle giant facing a slowdown in sales. Musk clearly stated that he would not return to that position, which the market sees as a signal that he will refocus on core business.

Additionally, although Musk and Trump had publicly disagreed over fiscal legislation, recent signs indicate that their relationship has somewhat improved. Currently, DOGE has confirmed its dissolution, and while the department claims to have cut spending, its actual effectiveness is difficult for external agencies to verify due to a lack of public accounting details.

Business Backlash and Investor Anxiety

Musk made the above statements during an interview with former Trump administration official Katie Miller on Tuesday. When asked if he would lead DOGE again, Musk clearly replied:

"No, I don't think I will."

Musk stated in the program:

"If I had just focused on my company at that time instead of doing DOGE, they wouldn't have burned those cars."

Due to Musk's political stance and the aggressive cost-cutting plan he led, protests erupted in many parts of the U.S. earlier this year, resulting in damage to vehicles owned by Tesla dealerships and individual owners. This chaotic situation heightened investor unease, as the market had previously criticized Musk for neglecting Tesla's core business, leading to a lack of necessary leadership amid sluggish sales growth.

Limited "Success" and Shrinking Effectiveness

Regarding the specific performance of DOGE, Musk described it as "a bit successful" or "barely successful." He revealed that the department's biggest achievement was preventing approximately $100 billion to $200 billion in meaningless "zombie payments" each year by mandating payment codes and payment instructions.

However, this result is far from Musk's initial grand promises. Musk had claimed during the election that he would cut $2 trillion in government spending in the first year, later revising the target to $1 trillion, and further significantly lowering it to $150 billion in April this year. Although Musk appeared at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in February wielding a chainsaw, vowing to use it as a "chainsaw for bureaucracy" to drastically cut agencies, the actual execution was greatly diminished after encountering real-world resistance This highly anticipated political experiment did not last long. Musk led the team during the first five months of Trump's second term, aiming to cut federal budgets and workforce. In the initial 100 days, DOGE did indeed facilitate the layoffs or buyouts of thousands of federal employees.

However, Musk's relationship with his allies in the White House experienced significant ups and downs. In the middle of this year, a fierce public dispute erupted between the two parties, and Musk subsequently announced his departure from the government in May. Scott Kupor, director of the U.S. Office of Personnel Management, confirmed to Reuters this month that DOGE has been disbanded, eight months before its originally set authorization period. Although DOGE claimed to have cut spending by hundreds of billions of dollars, external financial experts stated that it is currently impossible to verify the authenticity of this data, as the department has not provided detailed public accounting records