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In an interview with Fox\u2019s Larry Kudlow on Monday, billionaire Elon Musk admitted that his involvement with the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), Donald Trump\u2019s initiative to reduce federal spending, is making it tougher to run his many businesses: X, Tesla, xAI, SpaceX, The Boring Company, and Starlink. <\/p>\n
\u201cHow are you running your other businesses?\u201d Kudlow asked at one point. <\/p>\n
\u201cWith great difficulty,\u201d Musk replied. \u201cFrankly, I can\u2019t believe I\u2019m here doing this.\u201d<\/p>\n
Musk and DOGE, which has around 100 staffers<\/a> \u2014 a number that Musk expects to climb to 200 \u2014 have been criticized for overpromising and underdelivering on spending cuts across U.S government agencies. Government contracting experts say that DOGE\u2019s online record of reductions contains inaccurate information<\/a> and inflates claims of \u201csavings\u201d by including misleading math about contract cancellations.<\/a><\/p>\n DOGE has also put the U.S.\u2019s data and computing infrastructure at risk through its work, according to cybersecurity analysts<\/a>. DOGE staffers, some of whom have little experience working with government systems, have reportedly accessed agency data through insecure means and copied that data onto unprotected servers.<\/p>\n While Musk complains that his work advising DOGE has stretched him thin, the billionaire has been accused of using the initiative to weaken regulations that oversee his business ventures. <\/p>\n DOGE has gutted the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, which was poised to expand oversight of peer-to-peer payment systems, including X\u2019s upcoming virtual wallet product<\/a>. It has reduced staff at the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, which had opened probes<\/a> into the dangers posed by Tesla\u2019s assisted driving technologies. Elsewhere, DOGE has fired probationary employees at the Federal Aviation Administration, which had proposed penalties for safety violations at SpaceX. And DOGE has pushed for significant staff cuts at the Securities and Exchange Commission, with which Musk<\/a> has<\/a> a long-running<\/a> feud<\/a>.<\/p>\n When asked by Kudlow if he would extend his involvement in DOGE by \u201canother year,\u201d Musk said, \u201cYeah.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re just getting things done, as opposed to writing a report,\u201d Musk added. \u201cLike, reports don\u2019t mean anything. You\u2019ve got to actually take action.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n