In a recent interview with The Washington Post, American entrepreneur and founder of Tesla and SpaceX, Elon Musk, admitted that the federal government's administrative system is more "rigid and chaotic" than he imagined. He mentioned that his efforts to reform the "Government Efficiency Office" have turned into a "scapegoat" for various problems and hinted at gradually withdrawing from political affairs to refocus on business operations.
Musk Candidly Speaks on Challenges in Government Reform
"The situation with federal bureaucracy is much worse than I thought," Musk said in an interview at SpaceX's Texas factory. He admitted that despite being mentally prepared, pushing for reform in Washington is a "tough battle."
As the head of the "Government Efficiency Office" established by the Trump administration, Musk pointed out that the department has become a "punching bag" for public dissatisfaction. "Anything bad is blamed on us, even when we have no relation to it."
Musk also criticized the hostility towards him and his companies, mentioning incidents where Tesla cars were maliciously set on fire. "Why do people burn cars? That's not cool."
Technical Transformation Plans Remain
Despite expressing dissatisfaction, Musk has not entirely abandoned the reform work of the Government Efficiency Office. He revealed that he will focus on improving federal computer systems rather than tackling more sensitive administrative reforms such as layoffs.
He exemplified: "Even in intelligence systems, sometimes you have to print out data and manually input it into another computer, which is absurd." He believes that enhancing IT infrastructure is more feasible and easier to build consensus around than other reform plans.
"Starship" Test Flight Failures Influence Decisions Again
Musk's interview took place at SpaceX's Texas factory amid the backdrop of repeated test flight failures of their new-generation heavy rocket, "Starship." Before the ninth test flight, he personally oversaw the site, expressing renewed commitment to the company's technical projects, although the test flight ultimately failed again.
According to reports, Musk publicly stated on May 24 that he would reduce his involvement in governmental affairs, devoting more time to his companies. Sources close to his team disclosed that he is "exhausted and frustrated" with his experience at the Government Efficiency Office, especially since the negative publicity from policy initiatives has affected both his personal and corporate reputation.
