The Take · Al Jazeera

Another Take: What did Elon Musk get from DOGE – and what’s next?

March 21, 2026·26 min·2 clips

DOGE claimed Social Security fraud by finding 150-year-olds in the database—but they were just dead people accumulating age.

This episode of The Take examines Elon Musk's tenure leading the Trump administration's Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). Host Natasha Del Toro interviews tech reporter Matt Binder about Musk's resignation and the department's legacy. The discussion centers on the practical outcomes and controversies stemming from Musk's efforts to slash federal spending. DOGE claimed to have eliminated over 300,000 federal jobs during its ten-month existence. Matt Binder explains that Musk and DOGE used social media to announce specific cuts, like a gender studies program in Zimbabwe, which often garnered Republican support. Investigations revealed many announced cuts were merely recommendations or based on mischaracterized programs, with DOGE quietly revising savings numbers after public scrutiny. One highlighted example involved DOGE claiming massive Social Security savings by removing allegedly fraudulent entries for people listed as over 120 years old. Binder clarifies these entries were legacy data from deceased individuals, with no actual improper payments being made. The department's workforce reductions impacted essential services, with national parks cited as a public-facing example facing future cuts to hours and access. A major focus was DOGE's project to consolidate sensitive federal data, including Social Security numbers and medical records, into a single system. The department employed young staffers, some with problematic backgrounds, including one known as "Big Balls" linked to a hacker group. Binder raises concerns that these individuals could have accessed or scraped data for personal use. He notes DOGE used Musk's AI chatbot, Grok, to analyze data, which Musk could have retained to train his commercial AI models. A former DOGE employee writing about his experience found the VA systems were already running efficiently, contrary to expectations of rampant fraud. The episode suggests Musk's Silicon Valley "move fast and break things" ethos was dangerously unsuited to government, where errors can directly harm citizens reliant on services. Conflicts of interest are a key theme, with a Senate report estimating Musk's conflicts through DOGE could amount to $2.37 billion. Binder speculates the accessed data could benefit Musk's companies, like targeting Tesla ads or informing SpaceX's government contract bids. Musk's planned X Money payment app could gain an unfair advantage from access to Consumer Financial Protection Bureau data. Musk's personal and corporate reputation suffered, with Tesla's stock falling over 9% and polls showing his unpopularity skyrocketing. The episode argues that despite the disruption, federal spending is set to be higher in 2025 than the previous year, contradicting DOGE's core goal. Binder concludes that government's purpose to serve citizens, not turn a profit, is fundamentally misunderstood by tech billionaires and the political right. The tone is analytical and investigative, dissecting recent political events through a critical lens. The style is conversational but dense with specific claims and examples drawn from reporting. This episode would appeal to listeners interested in the intersection of tech, politics, and government accountability. Those seeking a favorable portrayal of Elon Musk or the Trump administration's efficiency projects would likely find it dissatisfying.

As heard by us

A plainspoken look at how DOGE's AI-driven cuts collided with sensitive data access and accountability.

This Take episode follows DOGE, the Trump administration initiative calling itself the Department of Government Efficiency, as it used AI and keywords to flag grants as DEI related, skipped expert review, and showed no regrets about the job losses.

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Why you'd press play

If you want the story behind DOGE's cuts and the data questions around them, start here.

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