From the 288-day White House meme to a silent ending: Why the DOGE experiment closely resembles a failed Meme coin

The Encrypted Past of the Government Efficiency Department

A government agency named after Dogecoin, accompanied by Elon Musk’s chainsaw and bold promises to cut bureaucracy, burst onto the scene. But now, no one mentions it anymore.

The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), launched on Trump’s first day in office, was quietly disbanded after less than 10 months of operation. U.S. Office of Personnel Management Director Scott Cooper officially confirmed this month: “It no longer exists.”

From its establishment on January 20, 2025, to its quiet exit, DOGE’s entire lifecycle lasted only 294 days. That number sounds familiar—it’s the typical lifespan of those fleeting Meme coins in the crypto market.

A government department designed like a Meme coin project? That story needs to start from the beginning.

The Meme-ification of the Entry

Elon Musk clearly wanted to do something new. DOGE’s official website eschewed the traditional serious style of government agencies, instead flooding the page with Dogecoin logos and Shiba Inu images. This design instantly shattered your stereotypical image of American bureaucracies.

Musk himself added fuel to the fire—posting a photo on X of himself holding a chainsaw, captioned as “a chainsaw for bureaucracy,” reminiscent of the radical shouts in the crypto community. This communication tactic? It’s a carbon copy of how he promoted Dogecoin back in the day.

This is no coincidence. By borrowing internet Meme culture and using satire to subvert traditional authority, Trump and Musk aimed to tell stories and gain recognition in a way that resonates with young people and internet natives. The power of symbols was pushed to the extreme at this moment.

Silicon Valley-Style Rapid Growth

DOGE’s operational approach completely diverged from traditional bureaucratic systems. Frankly, it didn’t look like a government department at all; it resembled a Silicon Valley startup that had barged into Washington.

Musk recruited about 50 young people in their twenties, dressed in hoodies and jeans, fueled by Red Bull, running between federal agencies daily. Within just three weeks, this team had placed personnel in major agencies, controlled funding flows, and screened contract projects.

AI technology became their secret weapon. From contract funding to employee travel reimbursements, all data was entered into a system that used AI to quickly identify waste. One decision to vacate an idle office building saved $150 million.

This “fast action, breaking norms” attitude caused a stir in Washington. Demanding federal employees submit weekly reports, automatically resigning if they didn’t, and treating absences as administrative leave—these tough measures would be impossible to implement in a traditional government.

Grand Narratives and the Race Against Reality

At the story’s start, Musk boldly claimed to cut $20 trillion from the federal budget. As soon as that number appeared, it was clear: this was a classic crypto-style number game, meant to generate buzz and attract attention.

In reality? DOGE claimed to have cut about $160 billion in spending, but that’s just over 1/12 of Musk’s target. The exaggerated promises and the bleak actual results created a huge gap.

More embarrassing data came from a report by the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations (PSI), where Democratic members accused DOGE of wasting over $21 billion of federal funds in just six months. The Department of Energy’s loan programs were frozen, losing $263 million in interest income; USAID was halted, and $110 million worth of food and medicine rotted in warehouses.

DOGE’s rough-and-ready approach offended many. Democratic attorneys general from 14 states filed lawsuits against Musk and Trump; constitutional scholars accused Trump of granting Musk powers that violated the constitutional appointment clause. Nearly 20 lawsuits followed, covering violations from privacy laws to unauthorized access to sensitive government data.

The Silent Exit

From its dazzling debut to its quiet shutdown, DOGE’s exit was as theatrical as its birth—but in the opposite direction.

In May, Musk announced he was stepping down from DOGE, clashing publicly with Trump over the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act.” By summer, DOGE personnel had gradually withdrawn from headquarters; security guards disappeared, and access signs were taken down.

Recently, Office of Personnel Management Director Cooper publicly confirmed—somewhat like an obituary—that DOGE no longer exists; its functions have been absorbed by the OPM.

What about former DOGE members? They didn’t vanish—they simply transitioned into traditional government roles. Airbnb co-founder Joe Gebbia now leads the National Design Studio, and Zachary Treil became the CTO of the Department of Health and Human Services. What does this mean? It indicates that DOGE, as a bold experiment, has ended, but some of its DNA has been injected into routine government agencies.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis’s comment on X was somewhat poignant: “DOGE fought the Swamp, but the Swamp won.” This political Meme coin experiment ultimately succumbed to the inertia of traditional politics.

The Clash of Crypto Spirit and Political Reality

Looking at the whole story, the infiltration of symbolic economy into traditional politics is an undeniable fact. Although DOGE was fleeting, it marked the deep integration of politics and crypto culture, which is an inevitable trend. In the future, we are likely to see more political institutions and governance models with “crypto-native” features.

But here’s a key question: how can we combine the innovative spirit of the crypto world with the stability of traditional governance? How to have both symbolic appeal and real effectiveness?

Ultimately, narratives can build consensus, but once they detach from technological implementation and value creation, they become castles in the air. When Meme symbols fade, what truly leaves a mark in history are those technologies and projects that solve real problems. The story of DOGE may be teaching us this lesson through its very failure.