Is Elon Musk Really Stepping Back From DOGE?
NEWS | 18 May 2025
Elon Musk says he’s stepping back from his role with the so-called Department of Government Efficiency to turn his attention to his businesses—most urgently to Tesla, which has faced global sales slumps in recent months. In this episode, we discuss how our understanding of DOGE has evolved over the past five months and what we think will happen when Musk scales back. You can follow Michael Calore on Bluesky at @snackfight, Lauren Goode on Bluesky at @laurengoode, and Katie Drummond on Bluesky at @katie-drummond. Write to us at uncannyvalley@wired.com. How to Listen You can always listen to this week's podcast through the audio player on this page, but if you want to subscribe for free to get every episode, here's how: If you're on an iPhone or iPad, open the app called Podcasts, or just tap this link. You can also download an app like Overcast or Pocket Casts and search for “uncanny valley.” We’re on Spotify too. Transcript Note: This is an automated transcript, which may contain errors. Michael Calore: Hey, this is Mike. Before we start, I want to take the chance to remind you that we want to hear from you. Do you have a tech related question that's been on your mind, or maybe you have a topic that you wish we talk about on the show? If so, you can write to us at uncannyvalley@wired.com, and if you listen to and enjoy our episodes, please rate it and leave your review on your podcast app of choice. It really helps other people find us. Hi folks, co-hosts. How's it going? Katie Drummond: Ugh. Michael Calore: That good? Katie Drummond: That was me, Katie. That was me speaking. No, it's going all right. It's been a stressful 90 minutes leading up to recording this podcast, but I'm okay. Michael Calore: Did you just fly through Newark? Katie Drummond: No, actually I didn't. Although I know that that is in your cards, in the near future. I actually rescheduled a flight to avoid Newark, so I'm now taking a red eye for no reason other than I don't want to fly into Newark Airport. Lauren Goode: Smart. Katie Drummond: Thank you. Michael Calore: I'm jealous. Lauren Goode: Mike, I'm sending you all of the good wishes. Michael Calore: Thank you. I hope to listen to this podcast on an airplane that took off on time and lands on time without incident on Thursday. Lauren Goode: I hope you return next week able to tape another podcast because you didn't get stuck somewhere. Michael Calore: I think metaphysically, we're all stuck somewhere right now, I think. Lauren Goode: Yeah, we're in the middle of some big transitions. That's probably the one thing that we have in common with Elon Musk. Katie Drummond: Touché. Michael Calore: Back in the first week of January, we put out an episode of this show that was all about DOGE, the so-called Department of Government Efficiency. I would say it was our very first DOGE episode, if I'm remembering correctly. And we talked about the key players, the goals of the group, and the ins and outs of government spending. A lot has happened since then. And now, Elon Musk, says that he's stepping back from his full-time role at DOGE. There are still many unanswered questions about where DOGE stands now, including if and when Elon's exit will happen, but we're wondering what actually has been accomplished during Musk's time with the DOGE Bros. So, today in the show, the latest on DOGE and what it may look like post-Elon. This is WIRED's Uncanny Valley, a show about the people, power, and influence of Silicon Valley. I'm Michael Calore, Director of Consumer Tech and Culture here at WIRED.
Author: David Gilbert. Lauren Goode. Michael Calore. Katie Drummond. Zoë Schiffer. Steven Levy. Matt Giles. Bobbie Johnson. Anna Lagos.
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