Elon Musk, billionaire Tesla boss and head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), announced plans to axe entire agencies in order to achieve government efficiency. Speaking at the 2025 World Governments Summit in Dubai, Musk stated that deleting entire agencies is necessary to prevent future administrations from reintroducing unnecessary functions.
Musk emphasized that leaving part of an agency intact would allow for “weeds” to grow back, making it harder to maintain progress. He plans to delete many agencies and only bring some back during the next election cycle, but at a lower baseline.
The Department of Government Efficiency was established by Musk to streamline government processes and reduce costs. The department has already implemented various cost-slashing measures, including slashing spend and introducing hiring freezes.
Musk’s appearance in Dubai came after he held a press conference alongside President Trump at the White House. He was questioned about potential conflicts of interest between his role as DOGE head and his stake in private companies such as Tesla and SpaceX.
Musk acknowledged that errors can occur, but emphasized the importance of improving government technology to increase efficiency. The U.S. government’s outdated computer systems and lack of technology integration are major obstacles to improvement, Musk said.
The Department of Government Efficiency has already rolled out various changes, including a buyout program enticing federal employees to leave their roles in exchange for financial compensation. However, some staff members have expressed confusion over role terminations due to the rapid pace of changes being implemented by DOGE and the White House.
Source: https://fortune.com/2025/02/13/elon-musk-delete-entire-agencies-doge-dubai