Musk’s work at DOGE has been heavily criticized as he prepares to wind down his work with the agency in the coming weeks

Elon Musk
Elon Musk

Elon Musk has compared himself to Buddha and his Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) to Buddhism, describing the cost-cutting agency as “a way of life.”

President Donald Trump has tasked the tech billionaire and DOGE with slashing federal spending. Musk’s leadership at DOGE has led to the firing of thousands of federal employees, with entire agencies brought to a standstill.

As he prepares to wind down his work at the agency in the coming weeks, Musk on Wednesday was asked who would lead it when he leaves.

“DOGE is a way of life. Like Buddhism,” he told reporters at the White House.

“Is Buddha needed for Buddhism?” he added. “Was it not stronger after he passed away?”

It comes days after Trump joked that he’d like to be the next pope in a tongue-in-cheek moment with reporters.

Musk revealed that DOGE has not yet met the $1 trillion in cuts he initially aimed for, and instead has slashed around $160 billion.

He admitted that DOGE’s work was “not as effective as I’d like.”

“I think we could be more effective, but we’ve made progress,” he said.

Musk has been designated a “special government employee,” which allows him to work in the job for 130 days each year. His time in the role is set to expire in late May, although he has not revealed when he plans to step away from the position.

Last week, Musk said that he will start dedicating more time to his company Tesla from May, adding that he expects to spend just “a day or two per week on government matters.”

It comes after Tesla suffered plummeting revenue while Musk was working for Trump. The company said that quarterly profits fell by 71 percent to $409 million, or 12 cents a share.

In recent months, Tesla dealerships and charging stations around the world have been targeted in a string of protests, vandalism and arson attacks, amid backlash over Musk’s ties to Trump and his leadership at DOGE.

Musk said he planned to spend less time in Washington as he scales back his work with the administration.

“Now we’re getting more of a rhythm so the amount of time that’s necessary for me to spend here is much less,” he said.