Elon Musk has urged the US government to "delete entire agencies" as a means of significantly reducing federal spending as part of his ongoing campaign.
The tech billionaire, who has been granted significant freedom by President Donald Trump since the start of the new administration last month, stated at the World Governments Summit in Dubai that the US government requires a more drastic approach rather than merely reforming existing agencies.
He suggested we need to completely dismantle the agencies. If we don't eliminate the source of the issue, it will simply grow back.
Musk also presented a scathing assessment of the US's current system of government.
“Government is controlled by red tape, not the citizens,” Musk stated, wearing a black T-shirt with the phrase "Tech Support" printed on it.
There's an enormous amount of excessive government oversight that has developed over time, and this is a natural outcome of an extended period of economic prosperity, which inevitably results in more and more rules and regulations being put in place.
And the typical process of eliminating rules and regulations is war, and it needs to be a fundamental conflict where a complete overhaul is necessary to prevent defeat in the conflict.
A more isolationist stance on foreign policy
Musk referred to his team's actions at the US Agency for International Development (USAID) and the National Endowment for Democracy, both of which have experienced significant spending reductions and slashes over the past two weeks.
He questioned the work of both agencies, remarking, "How much democracy have they really achieved recently?"
The speech also signified a more isolationist view of US foreign policy, especially in the Middle East region.
Musk stated that during Trump's term, the US would be "less interested in interfering with the affairs of other nations".
While Musk has addressed the summit before, his comments on Thursday carried additional significance given the role of his Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE.
Although it is called a government department, this entity is not an official government organization. Moreover, Elon Musk has criticized efforts to reveal the identities of those working for him - some of whom have been granted access to edit the code used in federal spending and payment systems, without any official supervision.
Musk also addressed the Trump administration's stance on diversity, equity, and inclusion programs, a main focus of the two men's criticism, stating that if artificial intelligence software were to be programmed with a DEI focus, it could theoretically make drastic decisions such as eliminating men from positions of authority.
Musk discussed the upcoming release of X's new AI chatbot, Grok 3, describing it as "exciting" and "somewhat unsettling". He also criticized the direction taken by ChatGPT's creator, OpenAI, comparing it to an environmental organization that transformed into a lumber company.
Musk has made a proposal to acquire the company, but it has been rejected by its CEO, Sam Altman.