What DOGE is really up to: A Silicon Valley take

Washington has been blown away by the speed and recklessness with which Elon Musk and his team of engineers have swept across the executive branch. But what, really, does Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency want? Washington insiders largely see it through the lens of policy, or ideology — it’s about “major reform”, or dismantling the administrative state, or concentrating power in the White House while protecting Elon Musk’s businesses. To tech-world observers, that’s the wrong way to see what’s happening. “It’s not a technical victory, but a cultural victory,” says Rohit Krishnan, a Bay Area-based engineer, economist and venture capitalist who has spent his life immersed in the business culture of Silicon Valley. Krishna offered a long download on how DOGE’s code-first approach differs from efforts by previous administrations to cut waste, and how the “disruptive” business model of startups like Uber might work (or not work) when applied to the hulking federal bureaucracy.