As Elon Musk begins to step back from his work with the Trump administration, analysts are engaging in widespread debate over his time in government, asking: What was he trying to achieve with the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), the quasi-agency that has dismantled much of the federal bureaucracy and wreaked havoc in Washington and beyond?
Musk’s likely explanation—to boost “efficiency” and save the government money—doesn’t quite add up. Despite its claims of widespread savings, DOGE’s actions may actually cost taxpayers billions of dollars. Is Musk just an old-fashioned political opportunist? A pawn on the chessboard of the U.S. right? A predatory capitalist in ruthless pursuit of profit above all else?
In the articles below, FP columnists and contributors look to a wide range of sources—biographies, world history, and Musk’s own affinity for physics—as they debate this question and more. Together, they offer a portrait of Musk and his work at DOGE just as it winds down.
Elon Musk looks on at a cabinet meeting in the White House in Washington on April 30.Jim Watson/AFP via Getty Images
Elon Musk Was Donald Trump’s Useful Idiot
It’s looking increasingly likely that the world’s richest man got played, Gideon Lichfield writes.
Nicolás Ortega illustration for Foreign Policy
Elon Musk’s First Principles
The world’s richest man wants to apply the rules of physics to politics, FP’s Adam Tooze writes. What could go wrong?
A caricature titled “The Rhodes Colossus” depicts the imperialist Cecil Rhodes standing on a map of Africa. Hulton Archive/Getty Images)
Elon Musk Is America’s Cecil Rhodes
It’s not the first time that liberal capitalism has retreated—and predatory capitalists have filled the void, FP’s Caroline de Gruyter writes.
Elon Musk listens to a speaker during the U.K. Artificial Intelligence Safety Summit at Bletchley Park in England on Nov. 1, 2023.Toby Melville/AFP via Getty Images
AI Is Infiltrating the U.S. Government
Trump’s actions are a distraction from the main order of business: the pursuit of fantastic profit through a surging industry, FP’s Howard W. French writes.
U.S. President-elect Donald Trump and Elon Musk watch the launch of the sixth test flight of the SpaceX Starship rocket in Brownsville, Texas, on Nov. 19, 2024.Brandon Bell/Getty Images
What Drives Elon Musk?
FP’s Cameron Abadi and Adam Tooze discuss his wealth, political power, and support for far-right parties.