Elon Musk resigned from his position as head of the Department of Government Efficiency or DOGE, after a turbulent and briefly-held stint. His leadership, lasting merely a quarter of a year, was marked by a wave of tumult and ended in a rather unfortunate manner. During his brief tenure, Musk drew parallels between contemporary America and Rome of ancient times, suggesting that the country needed a figure akin to Lucius Cornelius Sulla, the Roman reigning authority notorious for his dictatorial reforms and the slaughter of thousands.
Yet Musk’s intention behind such a comparison was not to inspire fear or awe. He believed the nation required a Sulla-like figure, a strong-will leader who could address and resolve the systemic issues in the government; A leader who could decisively slice through bureaucracy. However, his performance, rather than resembling Sulla, mirrored another Roman leader, Marcus Calpurnius Bibulus – a figure remembered more for his shortcomings than his accomplishments.
Before assuming his role at DOGE, Musk went on record to state that his ambition was to minimize the federal deficit by a substantial $2 trillion mark. But the reality following several months in office was a far cry from this lofty aspiration. DOGE, under Musk, could only muster about $160 billion in cuts, a rather meager amount in the grand scheme of things; considering the federal expenditure of approximately $7 trillion per annum.
The amount saved under DOGE’s purview not only falls significantly short of Musk’s stated target but also fails to make a noticeable dent in the government spending. Ironically, in the duration that Musk claimed to have saved $160 billion, the federal government’s expenditure expanded by $200 billion compared to the previous year. The deficit-cutting target of $2 trillion is evidently unmet, and the performance of DOGE leans heavily towards failure.
Instead of emerging as a transformational figure like Sulla, Musk’s tenure echoed the frustrations and limitations of Marcus Calpurnius Bibulus. This Roman leader found himself in a challenging position of authority alongside Julius Caesar in 59 BC. Despite their shared hopes, Bibulus and Caesar were polar opposites in their political orientations – Bibulus leaning conservative, while Caesar was decidedly populist.
Caught up in their constant confrontations, Bibulus struggled to find any empathy or support and was left with minimal means to challenge Caesar’s policy agenda. Such was the intensity of these fights that Bibulus eventually decided to stay indoors, issuing statements of bad omens in an attempt to stall Caesar’s momentum. However, this strategy misjudged the circumstances at the time, leading to its failure.
Caesar, with the backing of the First Triumvirate, a powerful alliance, moved ahead relentlessly, answering the people’s demand for his populist policy. Bibulus, despite his best intentions, found himself helpless against the tectonic shifts Caesar brought forth, turning into a mere gear incapable of substantial influence in the grand political machinery; a predicament that rings familiar with Musk’s experience at DOGE.
With good intentions, Musk aimed to tackle and mitigate the spiraling government expenditure. However, even for a figure as influential as Musk, the expectations turned out to be a burden heavy enough to cripple DOGE. Genuine, impactful reform in spending requires the backing of Congress – a support that was conspicuously missing during Musk’s tenure, leading to challenges beyond his control.
Reflecting on Caesar’s journey, we learn that he ascended to the position of a dictator, only to be assassinated by a group of senators. As he saw Marcus Junius Brutus, a man he considered close, among his assassins, he uttered the words ‘Et tu, Brute?’ – roughly translated to ‘You too, Brutus?’. Despite historical accounts attributing ‘You too, my child?’ being the final words addressed to Brutus, the version with ‘Et tu, Brute?’ took a firm hold in popular imagination.
In the end, the story of DOGE under Musk’s leadership is reminiscent of many government initiatives that fail to meet their initial promise. DOGE, hoped to become a decisive agency cutting down the government’s sprawling expenditure, ended up being just another governmental tool that couldn’t fulfill its ambitious goals. Echoing the sentiment of disillusionment, one could adapt Shakespeare’s famous quote to this situation – ‘Et tu, DOGE and Elon Musk?’.