Although his term will end next May, Musk stated that his withdrawal does not mean the end of the Office of Government Efficiency.
The richest person in the world had a one-hour interview with the press in the Roosevelt Room of the White House, near the Oval Office. The sharing was somewhat of an unofficial farewell as Musk plans to reduce his working time in government, according to Axios.
This move comes after Tesla, the billionaire's electric vehicle company, reported significant losses last month. Musk, who heads the Office of Government Efficiency (DOGE), shared that he wants to refocus on running his companies, as the work here has been completed.
The highlight of the interview was when Musk continuously emphasized that his withdrawal does not mean that DOGE will end its mission. He believes that DOGE is a lifestyle and even compared the Office of Efficiency to Buddhism.
In the interview, he said that he is aware that the budget-cutting initiative under the name DOGE has not achieved the expected effectiveness. So far, DOGE has only managed to cut $160 billion in federal spending. This figure is still far from the $2 trillion target he set last year.
DOGE has cut about 1% of the federal workforce (about 20,000 people). Musk estimates that they are on track for about 70–80% of the original timeline and believes that the program could save up to $1 trillion.
However, he acknowledged that this process is very difficult due to receiving many complaints. Many people, including civil servants who lost their jobs because of DOGE, questioned whether the insignificant savings were worth the chaos it caused.
Regardless of the mixed opinions that DOGE brings, Elon Musk believes that the program could last throughout Trump's presidency, meaning until the end of 2028, doubling the initial deadline of July 4, 2026. "I think so. The decision is up to the president," he responded to reporters.
In addition, Musk also revealed more about his time in this position at the Office of Efficiency. He mentioned that he did not always enjoy the job, especially during the waves of protests against his management of DOGE. Numerous protests and vandalism aimed at Tesla dealerships. "Being constantly attacked or seeing cars burned is not fun at all," he said.
As the CEO of the space company SpaceX, Musk has quietly advised the Pentagon on defense spending. He mentioned that he has actively encouraged the Secretary of Defense to invest in hypersonic missiles with short-range drones, and feels that the counterpart is also in agreement.
Musk also indirectly shared his close relationship with the current president. Although he is quite secretive about his whereabouts while in Washington, he revealed that he has stayed overnight in the Lincoln Room of the White House at the invitation of President Trump on multiple occasions. One late night, Trump called Musk and told him to get ice cream from the White House kitchen.
As the richest person in the world, Musk only has a very small office that does not receive much natural light in the West Wing. He plans to keep this small office for use when he is in Washington, which typically occurs one to two days a week.
"This office has no beautiful view at all. It has one window, but you can only see the HVAC unit," Musk shared. Nevertheless, this place also limits outside views to reduce the life-threatening risks that he and his team face.
At the beginning of April, the White House confirmed that Musk would leave his role at DOGE according to the planned 130-day timeline, ending in May. During a cabinet meeting at the White House, Trump thanked Musk for his contributions and stated that the billionaire could return to his car business.