The Quiet Exit of Doge: What Happened?

Doge's Sudden Demise Doge, the "department of government efficiency," has seemingly vanished with eight months left on its contract. Known for making sweeping changes in federal agencies and cutting numerous jobs, the group's disappearance came as little surprise to many.

Leadership and Transparency Issues Scott Kupor, head of the Office of Personnel Management (OPM), confirmed that Doge is no longer a "centralized entity." The department was created by an executive order signed by Donald Trump on his first day in office, with tech billionaire Elon Musk and former Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy at the helm. Their mission was to enact significant changes until July 24, 2026.

Despite Musk's claim in February that Doge was transparent, the group's agents often did not identify themselves. They frequently cut agency spending without consulting the agencies first and shared little about their work with the public.

Signs of Doge's Decline Speculation about Doge's fate intensified after Politico reported in June that staffers had packed up their things at the department’s headquarters, where they had been sleeping since February. This move followed a public feud between Trump and Musk. Former employees expressed concerns about potential legal repercussions due to their roles in cutting government programs and jobs.

By May, over 200,000 federal workers had been laid off, and about 75,000 had taken buyouts. Doge claimed these cuts saved billions, but experts could not verify these claims due to a lack of public records.

Trump Administration's Silence Trump administration officials have remained tight-lipped about Doge's reported demise. However, documents revealed that the OPM, the federal government’s human resources office, has taken over many of Doge’s former responsibilities. Trump has also referred to Doge in the past tense, and Musk officially left Washington in May, further fueling speculation about the department's dissolution.

Key Players Move On Many of Doge’s key figures have transitioned to new roles. Amy Gleason, the acting administrator, became an adviser to the health and human services secretary, Robert F Kennedy Jr, in March. Zachary Terrell, another senior member, is now the chief technology officer at the Department of Health. Rachel Riley has taken up the post of chief of the Office of Naval Research.

One notable departure was Joe Gebbia, the co-founder of Airbnb. He has since been tasked by Trump to improve government websites. Since his time at Doge, Gebbia has launched websites to recruit law enforcement officers to patrol Washington DC and to advertise the president’s drug pricing program.