'Is Buddha needed for Buddhism?' Elon Musk on stepping down from DOGE

Elon Musk thinks he is Buddha, and his Department of Government Efficiency is Buddhism that can function and expand without the founder -- as Elon Musk is minimizing his involvement with it and going back to his main business. Musk was asked who would lead the DOGE when he leaves the role. "Is Buddha needed for Buddhism?" Musk said.

"Was it not stronger after he passed away?" he said, as reported by the Washington Post.

Why is Elon Musk leaving DOGE?

As a special government employee, Elon Musk who is not a member of Donald Trump's cabinet, his government stint can't extend beyond 180 days and so his term would come to an end in May. This means he will be less involved in DOGE matters and more in Tesla, X, Starlink and all his other businesses. This came immediately after Tesla witnessed a massive protest in which Tesla vehicles were set on fire by protesters who opposed Musk's involvement in the government.

Several Democratic leaders claimed Donald Trump was distancing himself from Elon Musk, and that's why he is sending him away. But Trump maintained in public that he would want Elon Musk as long as possible. And even after Elon Musk steps away from DOGE, he will continue advising the president and the vice president.

“I’m willing to contribute on average, one to two days a week, which, you know, probably means coming to DC every other week for three days, type of thing. As indefinitely, as long as the president wants me to do it,” Musk said adding that his future involvement would be at the discretion of the president.

“Obviously, if the president or the Cabinet has an emergency that they want me to respond to then, I’ll do that. But otherwise, it’s just, I think it’s pretty manageable with one to two days on average," Musk said. “Everybody’s not leaving,” he said. “No, some will stay on, some will not. So, it’s up to them. This is basically a volunteer organization.” “DOGE is kind of a way of life … we make converts all the time,” Musk said.

But what's happening at Tesla?

While Elon Musk will be dedicating more time to Tesla, a Wall Street Journal report claimed that the company's board is already looking for a potential successor. The report said Tesla is reeling under a crisis phase and the board members reached out to executive search firms about a month ago. Elon Musk said the article was "deliberately false" and an "extremely bad breach of ethics".