Elon Musk's painful departure

The Tesla founder's much-heralded war on government waste has had uncertain results.

- Edward Luce

What began with a chainsaw is ending in a whimper. Mr Elon Musk's looming exit from Washington brings the oddest chapter of US President Donald Trump's presidency to an early close.

By his own metrics, Mr Musk's so-called Department of Government Efficiency (Doge) has failed. Far from achieving his touted US$2 trillion (S$2.6 trillion) in savings, Doge may end up costing the taxpayer. He has meanwhile brought harm on Tesla, where he will soon return. Was there a hidden method to his madness?

Two Musk gains can be spotted in the rubble. The first is the psychic value to him and Mr Trump of harming their enemies. The cliché about an expensive divorce being worth every penny applies. Mr Musk's net worth has fallen by about US$130 billion since Mr Trump's inauguration.

Yet he has instilled fear into the bureaucracy, from the CIA to the Department of Education. The downsides to Doge's valley of tears—a demoralized workforce and bad headlines about non-existent savings—can be presented as a win. Mr Musk assaulted the deep state. With some help from the courts, the bureaucracy has fought back but is badly wounded.