Elon Musk recently admitted he’s not sure if his work with the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) was worth all the trouble it caused. During an interview on The Katie Miller Podcast, the tech billionaire said he wouldn’t take the job again if given the chance. When Miller asked if he would accept the role a second time, Musk answered, “I mean, no, I don’t think so.”
According to the NY Post, Musk said he should have just focused on running his own companies instead of trying to cut government waste. “I think instead of doing DOGE, I would have basically worked on my companies, essentially,” he explained. This is a big confession, especially since he was excited about the project when it started under Trump’s second administration.
The main reason for his regret is the harsh backlash he faced for trying to stop the flow of money. Musk said when you try to cut political corruption, people fight back hard. “If you stop money going to political corruption, they will lash out big time,” he stated. These groups “really want the money to keep flowing.”
The backlash got personal and violent for Musk
The attacks weren’t just words. Musk pointed to a violent outbreak of vandalism where Tesla cars were burned earlier this year after he started working with President Trump. He suggested that without the political drama, “the cars, they wouldn’t have been burning the cars.” That’s a steep price to pay for trying to fix corrupt systems.
Absolutely surreal to interview one of the greatest minds of our time, a friend, and boss.
— Katie Miller (@KatieMiller) December 9, 2025
Thank you, @elonmuskpic.twitter.com/vbYlZTTaBf
Musk said DOGE was only partly successful. He estimated there are “probably $100, maybe $200 billion worth of zombie payments per year” being wasted. Even though DOGE did some good, it only stopped a small part of that huge amount of waste. This isn’t the first time Musk has expressed regret about his decisions during this turbulent period.
“They wouldn’t have been burning the cars.” Elon Musk thinks leading DOGE was a mistake. pic.twitter.com/dYCIXRKCMY
— Mike Sington (@MikeSington) December 10, 2025
Musk also criticized government spending on migrants, calling the system a “gigantic money magnet” that draws people to the US. He admitted he was never “super illusioned” about Washington from the start. His strong stance on immigrant voting issues has been a recurring theme in his recent political commentary.
The billionaire also talked about how his famous life affects him personally. Because of security threats and people always wanting selfies, he can’t go anywhere with crowds. He mentioned the assassination of Charlie Kirk as a reason security is so important. “Life is on a hardcore mode. You make one mistake, and you’re dead,” Musk said.
Musk also revealed he only sleeps about six hours because “AI nightmares” wake him up at night. Despite this, he claims he has no “irrational fears” and actively fights against any fear he feels. Looking back at everything, Musk said knowing what he knows now, he wouldn’t do DOGE again.
