DOGE has been called a lot of things, but its de facto head may have just broken new ground by comparing it to Buddhism.
During a Q&A session with reporters at the White House on Wednesday, Elon Musk spoke about what the future of DOGE looks like with him stepping back from the group.
He shook off concerns that his pullback from DOGE to focus on his companies would hamper the organization going forward.
“DOGE is a way of life, like Buddhism,” he said. “Buddha isn’t alive anymore. You wouldn’t ask the question: ‘Who would lead Buddhism?’”
He also said it was possible DOGE could continue to exist through the end President Donald Trump’s term in 2029, though the executive order creating DOGE designated it a temporary organization with an end date of July 4, 2026.
“I think so,” Musk told reporters of a possible extension of DOGE’s operations. “It’s up to the president.”
Musk said last week that he’ll step back from DOGE in May.
“Starting next month, I will be allocating far more of my time to Tesla,” he said during Tesla’s earnings call. “The major work of establishing the Department of Government Efficiency” was done, he added.
Musk’s decision to rein in his involvement at DOGE comes amid a turbulent period for the electric carmaker. Tesla’s recent Q1 earnings disappointed investors, as the company missed on revenue and earnings-per-share estimates.
It reported revenue of $19.34 billion, down 9% year-over-year, compared to forecasts of $21.43 billion and EPS of $0.12, down 71% year-over-year, versus analysts’ estimates of $0.33.
Tesla’s first-quarter deliveries also fell short of analysts’ estimates.
The company has also faced protests from people taking issue with Musk’s right-wing politics and DOGE’s mass layoffs.
Some Tesla vehicles, particularly Cybertrucks, and dealerships have also been vandalized as part of the backlash against Musk.