Politics

ALLYN: Sahil had joined DOGE, in part to learn how Elon Musk works and sees the world. And during this meeting, there was an E Q&A session-- time to ask Elon questions.

LAVINGIA: So I asked him. I said, like, what have you learned last week? Like, what-- you know, what are you learning about how the federal government works, basically? And he basically just sort of said, like, it's just-- it's just like a fractal of terribleness. And you just can't believe how terrible it is until you peel back the next layer, and it's even more terrible. And I just-- I just was kind of like, that's cool, I guess. But, like, that doesn't help me do my job. I was expecting a little bit more of a concrete answer.

ALLYN: Sahil was unimpressed. He'd gone into the meeting looking for a clear mission, hoping to get energized.

LAVINGIA: And I was like, honestly, I was super disappointed. I was expecting, like, a lot more of a plan of attack, like a sort of war room where we're like, this is what we're trying to get done. This is where we've failed. This is where we've succeeded. You know, a little bit more of, like, a team effort.

LAVINGIA: But when you join and you realize, oh, they're actually trying to do the thing that I already wanted them to do, that is sort of like-- it's good, in a sense, right? It's great that they're already focused on modernization, 100%. But also, it means that, like, you're no longer the hero, you know? Like, you're just an employee of this big organization.