294 Days of Rise and Fall of the DOGE Government Efficiency Department: Insights from a Political Meme Experiment

The 294-Day Lifespan of a Political Meme Experiment

Do you remember the photo of Musk holding a chainsaw? That “chainsaw for bureaucracy,” along with the government department named after the Dogecoin ticker, quietly disappeared less than a year after all the commotion.

Scott Cooper, director of the U.S. Office of Personnel Management, recently publicly admitted for the first time: “It no longer exists.” He was referring to the Department of Government Efficiency—DOGE—established on Trump’s first day in office. From inception to dissolution: 294 days. That number is all too familiar in crypto circles, reminiscent of those flash-in-the-pan meme coin projects.

When the Shiba Inu Logo Moved Into the White House

On January 20, 2025, Trump was sworn in. In the executive orders signed that day, there was a name that made crypto folks chuckle: DOGE (Department of Government Efficiency). Yes, that’s the same as the Dogecoin ticker.

Musk’s move was masterful. The official website featured the Shiba Inu icon, bringing over every iconic Dogecoin element. Was this really a government agency? It was clearly a social experiment that forcefully injected crypto meme culture into Washington.

The traditional bureaucratic sense of seriousness? Gone. Musk posted that chainsaw photo on X with the caption “Chainsaw for bureaucracy,” a style of communication identical to the way he hyped Dogecoin. Meme culture, satirical expression, subverting tradition—this combo works wonders in crypto, and now it’s been brought onto the political stage.

Young people eat this up. Digital natives buy into it. But the problem is, those folks in Washington aren’t chatting on Discord.

Silicon Valley Tactics Invade the Federal System

What are traditional government departments like? Suits and ties, rigid hierarchies, endless procedures. And DOGE?

Musk recruited about 50 young people in their 20s, dubbed “kid soldiers.” Hoodies and jeans, fueled by Red Bull, rushing between different federal agencies every day. In just three weeks, they’d placed contacts in major departments, mapped out funding flows, and started reviewing contract projects.

AI became their core weapon. Contract grants, employee travel reimbursements—all digitized and analyzed by AI to quickly find out where money was being burned and where efficiencies could be found. Found unused government office space? Immediately terminate the lease, saving $150 million.

“Move fast and break things”—the creed of Silicon Valley startups was transplanted into Washington without alteration. Federal employees were required to submit weekly reports—no submission? Considered resignation. Not showing up? Counted as administrative leave.

This approach caused an uproar in the federal system. After all, this isn’t SpaceX, nor a Tesla factory.

$2 Trillion Promise vs. $160 Billion Reality

Musk initially promised to cut $2 trillion from the federal budget. Ramaswamy was even bolder, saying he’d cut 70% of federal employees.

Sound familiar? Like the grand visions and eye-popping numbers often seen in crypto project whitepapers.

Reality hit back fast. DOGE claimed to have cut about $160 billion in spending, which sounds like a lot but is less than a fifth of what Musk promised. There was a huge gap between the grand narrative and actual execution.

Even more ironically, the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations released a report stating that DOGE “wasted” over $21 billion in just six months. Energy Department loan programs were frozen, costing the government about $263 million in lost interest; USAID was paralyzed, and $110 million worth of food and medicine rotted in warehouses.

The department meant to cut spending ended up becoming a money pit. This plot twist should be all too familiar to those in crypto.

14 States Sue, Musk Steps Down

DOGE’s operating style provoked public outrage. Democratic attorneys general from 14 states sued Musk and Trump, alleging unauthorized appointments that violated the Constitution’s Appointments Clause. DOGE faced nearly 20 lawsuits, including for violating privacy laws and unauthorized access to sensitive data.

In May this year, Musk announced his resignation and publicly fell out with Trump over legislative issues. Over the summer, DOGE staff gradually withdrew, security posts disappeared, and authorization badges vanished.

It wasn’t until this month that Cooper publicly confirmed for the first time: DOGE is gone, and its functions have been absorbed by the Office of Personnel Management. The federal hiring freeze has also been lifted.

Where did the team members go? Some found new positions within the government. Airbnb co-founder Joe Gebbia is now in charge of the National Design Studio, and Zachary Terrell became Chief Technology Officer at the Department of Health and Human Services. The experiment ended, but some of its ideas have been absorbed into the traditional system.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis commented on X: “DOGE fought the Swamp, but the Swamp won.” A political meme coin experiment ultimately ended in victory for the traditional structure.

Lessons From Symbolic Economics Penetrating Politics

Although DOGE exited early, it signaled a trend: the integration of crypto culture and politics is now irreversible. In the future, we may see more organizations and governance models with “crypto-native” characteristics.

The key question is, how do we combine the innovative spirit of the crypto world with the stability of traditional governance? We need both the allure of symbols and real effectiveness.

Narrative can unite consensus—no doubt about that. But narratives that are divorced from technical implementation and value creation are ultimately castles in the air. When meme symbol hype fades, what truly remains in the industry are always the technologies and projects that solve real problems.

DOGE’s 294 days taught the crypto world a lesson: however strong the narrative, it always needs hard power to back it up.