Elon Musk ripped into a journalist asking about the effectiveness of his Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), saying talking to her is “like talking to a computer.”
Bloomberg Editor-at-Large Mishal Husain pressed Musk during an interview at the Qatar Economic Forum on Tuesday about the amount of savings DOGE is finding as it seeks to reduce waste in the federal government.
She mentioned Musk has said DOGE is saving $4 billion per day but noted that wouldn’t be enough to reach his stated goal of saving $2 trillion by the time the department is set to wind down next year.
“I feel you’re somewhat trapped in the NPC [nonplayer character] dialogue tree of a traditional journalist,” Musk responded, in comments highlighted by Mediaite. “So it’s difficult when I’m conversing with someone who’s trapped in the dialogue tree of a conventional journalist, because it’s like talking to a computer.”
He said DOGE is an advisory group and is doing the best it can, claiming its progress so far has been “excellent.”
“I don’t think any advisory group has done better in the history of advisory groups for the government,” he said. “Now, we do not make the laws, nor do we control the judiciary, nor do we control the executive branch. We are simply advisers. In that context, we’re doing very well.”
The tech billionaire and senior adviser to President Trump argued the three branches of government are “to some degree” opposed to the level he wants for savings, creating an obstacle.
Musk’s DOGE has overseen a significant reshaping of the federal government in the months since Trump started his second term. Under recommendations from DOGE, hundreds of thousands of federal workers have been laid off or taken buyouts.
Musk has said the effort has saved billions, but that is still well short of his initially stated goal, and some experts have raised doubts that the amount of savings may be even less than Musk has maintained.
