Elon Musk told analysts he will scale back his involvement with the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), working just , as Tesla reels from a 71 percent plunge in quarterly profits. He explained the move on April 22 during a call with Wall Street analysts, saying he’ll continue his role in Washington “for as long as the president would like me to do so.”

The shift comes amid ongoing protests and vandalism targeting Tesla, driven by Musk’s leadership of DOGE, which has eliminated 20,000 federal jobs and slashed $160 billion in spending. During a Q&A at the White House on Wednesday, Musk tempered expectations, admitting DOGE hasn’t met his original $2 trillion ambition. “I think we’ve been effective. Not as effective as I’d like. I think we could be more effective. But we’ve made progress,” he said. Several outlets, including the Associated Press, USA Today, and Axios, reported the comments.

Musk

Despite public criticism, Musk stood by DOGE’s potential. “It can be done,” he said, referring to a revised $1 trillion savings goal. “But it requires dealing with a lot of complaints.” He added, “Being attacked is not super fun. Seeing cars on fire is not fun.” When asked about DOGE’s scheduled end in 2026, Musk suggested a possible extension: “I think so. It’s up to the president.”

While distancing himself from President Trump’s trade agenda, Musk reiterated his stance on tariffs: “I’ll continue to advocate for lower tariffs rather than higher tariffs,” he said. “That’s all I can do.”

Musk’s framing of DOGE remained unapologetically philosophical. “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?’”