The Rise and Fall of the DOGE Department in 294 Days: When Politics Meets Meme Culture

From DOGE to Government Departments: A 294-Day Political Experiment

When a government agency names itself after a cryptocurrency, you should know that this matter will not follow common sense.

The U.S. Department of Efficiency (DOGE) — yes, the one named after the DOGE coin — has recently been officially confirmed to be dissolved. Scott Cooper, the director of the Office of Personnel Management, candidly stated in an interview: “It no longer exists.”

From the day Trump announced his presidency to quietly exiting the historical stage, DOGE only survived for 294 days. This number evokes memories of those meme coin projects in the crypto market that flourished for a moment but ended abruptly.

A meticulously designed meme political show

On January 20, 2025, the day Trump signed the executive order, DOGE made its debut with a strong sense of déjà vu in the crypto world.

The official website of the department features a Shiba Inu avatar, and the design language is entirely that of the crypto community. Musk posted a photo on social media, holding a chainsaw, with the caption “Specifically prepared for bureaucracy”—this move is exactly the same as when he supported DOGE back in the day.

What kind of government agency is this? It is clearly just taking the community operation and symbolic communication tactics of Web3 and moving them to Washington. Traditional government departments emphasize solemnity and seriousness, while DOGE insists on using mockery and deconstruction to attract attention.

To be honest, this trick really works on the internet. Young people buy into this, and digital natives recognize it. But the problem is that politics is not about issuing coins, and governance cannot rely solely on memes.

Silicon Valley-style radicalism meets the iron wall of Washington

The way DOGE operates is more like a startup than a government institution.

Musk recruited about 50 young people in their twenties. These “baby soldiers” dressed in hoodies and jeans, fueled by Red Bull, managed to place personnel in major federal agencies within three weeks. They used AI tools to scan government expenditures, cutting funds wherever money was wasted. Idle office buildings? Terminate leases and save $150 million.

This “rapid iteration and breaking conventions” Silicon Valley spirit does not adapt well to the soil of Washington.

The DOGE team requires federal employees to submit weekly reports; failure to do so will be considered as automatic resignation. If you are not on duty, it will be treated as administrative leave. This management approach may work in tech companies, but applying it within the federal government system is like poking a knife into a hornet's nest.

When grand narratives meet harsh realities

Musk initially claimed he would cut $2 trillion from the federal budget, while Ramaswamy went even further, saying he would optimize away 70% of federal employees.

This number is impressive, it has the flavor of a cryptocurrency project whitepaper—first, paint a big picture to attract attention.

But reality hits back quickly. DOGE claims to have cut about $160 billion in spending, which sounds like a lot, but it's far from the $2 trillion target, and the completion rate is less than one-fifth.

Ironically, the Democratic members of the Senate investigation committee reported that DOGE “wasted” over $21 billion in 6 months.

The Energy Department's loan program has been frozen, resulting in a government loss of $263 million in interest; the International Development Agency is at a standstill, with $110 million worth of food and medicine rotting in warehouses. What do we call this? Cost-cutting has turned into a black hole.

Legal troubles also followed. Democratic attorneys general from 14 states have sued Musk and Trump, accusing them of unconstitutional authorization procedures. DOGE faces nearly 20 lawsuits, ranging from violations of privacy laws to unauthorized access to sensitive data, none have been missed.

Exit: A Quiet Ending

In May of this year, Musk announced his resignation and publicly fell out with Trump over the “Big and Beautiful” bill.

By summer, most of the people at DOGE headquarters had withdrawn, the guard post was gone, and the authorization signs were also dismantled. This month, the director of the Human Resources Management Bureau publicly acknowledged for the first time that DOGE no longer exists, and its functions have been taken over by the Human Resources Management Bureau.

The once intense nationwide hiring freeze has also been lifted. DOGE team members have not lost their jobs; Airbnb co-founder Joe Gebbia has taken charge of the National Design Studio, and Zachary Terrell has become the Chief Technology Officer of the Department of Health.

Florida Governor DeSantis commented on X: “DOGE and the swamp fought, but the swamp won.”

This statement is quite accurate. This political meme coin experiment ultimately lost to the weight and inertia of traditional politics.

The Future of Symbolic Economy: What Remains After the Hype?

The story of DOGE teaches us a lesson: symbols and narratives can indeed gather consensus and attract attention, but if there is no substantive content to support it, nothing will remain once the hype dissipates.

The integration of crypto culture and politics is already happening and is irreversible. In the future, there may be more political institutions and governance models that carry “crypto-native” characteristics.

But the key question is how to combine the innovative spirit of the crypto world with the stability of traditional governance to create a new model that is both symbolically attractive and practically effective.

The same principle applies in the crypto industry. Meme coins may have a temporary hype, but those that can truly establish themselves in the industry are always the technologies and projects that solve real problems and create genuine value.

No matter how beautiful the castle in the air is, it will scatter with a gust of wind.