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cover of episode Why I joined DOGE

Why I joined DOGE

2025/6/14
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Planet Money
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B
Bobby Allyn
K
Kenny Malone
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Sahil Lavingia
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Sahil Lavingia: 我加入Doge是因为我相信我可以利用我的技能来改善联邦政府的运作效率，并为公众带来实际利益。我希望通过现代化政府的软件系统，减少浪费和不必要的开支，从而为纳税人节省资金。我意识到投资者并不真正相信我的盈利能力，他们只是有太多的钱需要投资。我认为联邦政府也存在同样的问题，大量的免费资金导致了浪费和积累。我认为我可以将艺术与艺术家分开，只要我能参与联邦政府的现代化，谁执政并不重要。我希望了解埃隆是如何工作的，以及如何通过努力工作产生巨大的影响。我对参加埃隆·马斯克的会议感到非常失望，因为我希望有一个更具体的计划，但他的回答过于抽象，没有实际帮助。我最终意识到，政府内部已经有很多聪明且努力工作的人在努力改善系统，我能做的贡献有限。 Kenny Malone: 萨希尔加入Doge的原因有很多，包括有机会向埃隆·马斯克学习。他认为自己精简公司的经验可以帮助Doge精简联邦政府。萨希尔希望Doge能够实现政府软件的现代化，并认为特朗普削减开支的言论只是说说而已。萨希尔在VA中是一个具有破坏性的力量，每个人都能看到这一点。萨希尔的教训是，联邦政府比他想象的要好得多，像他这样的人很难进来节省100亿美元。特朗普也很擅长说服别人，他们是自己故事中的英雄，这是一个独特的机会，只有他们才能解决这个问题。 Bobby Allyn: 萨希尔是第一个愿意公开谈论Doge的人，这非常难得。Doge的工作大致分为三个阶段：人员部署、数据审计和削减开支。Doge一直不是很透明，记者们一直在努力拼凑Doge的行动。

Deep Dive

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Sahil Lavigna's decision to join DOGE wasn't purely political; he saw it as an opportunity to learn from Elon Musk, modernize government software, and apply his experience streamlining his own company to the federal government. His political views were moderate, and he hoped to separate the mission from the administration's politics.
  • Sahil Lavigna joined DOGE for reasons beyond politics, seeking to learn from Elon Musk and modernize government systems.
  • His past experience streamlining his startup informed his decision.
  • He underwent a 'political alignment interview,' revealing his moderate political stance.

Shownotes Transcript

What was it like to work inside Elon Musk's DOGE? The cost-cutting initiative promised transparency, but most of its actions have been shrouded in secrecy.For months, there were reports of software engineers and Trump loyalists entering agencies and accessing sensitive data. DOGE also helped the Trump administration lay off thousands of government workers. NPR reporters have been trying for months to get anyone from DOGE to talk on the record. Now, Sahil Lavingia, a former DOGE staffer assigned to the Department of Veteran Affairs, is speaking. Today, what drew Sahil to DOGE and what he learned about the inner workings, in a way we've never heard before.For more on DOGE and the federal workforce: - The last time we shrank the federal workforce) - Can... we still trust the monthly jobs report?) - Can the Federal Reserve stay independent?)*This episode was hosted by Kenny Malone and Bobby Allyn. It was produced by Sam Yellowhorse Kesler and Emma Peaslee. It was edited by Jess Jiang and fact-checked by Sierra Juarez. It was engineered by Neal Rauch. Alex Goldmark is Planet Money's executive producer.Find more Planet Money: Facebook) / Instagram) / TikTok) / Our weekly Newsletter).Listen free at these links: Apple Podcasts), Spotify), the NPR app) or anywhere you get podcasts.Help support Planet Money and hear our bonus episodes by subscribing to Planet Money+ in Apple Podcasts) or at plus.npr.org/planetmoney).*Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices)NPR Privacy Policy)