The Rise and Fall of the DOGE Department in 294 Days: The End of a Political Meme Coin Experiment

A government department named after the code of DOGE made a dazzling appearance with Musk's chainsaw and grandiose rhetoric of reshaping America, only to quietly exit the historical stage 294 days later.

The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), which was established on the first day of Trump's term, was quietly dissolved when there were still eight months left in his term. Recently, Scott Cooper, the Director of the U.S. Office of Personnel Management, publicly acknowledged for the first time: “It no longer exists.”

To be honest, the lifespan of DOGE is almost identical to those fleeting meme coins – it comes quickly and goes just as fast. It directly borrows the code of 狗狗币(Dogecoin), with the official website featuring a Shiba Inu avatar, and Musk even posed with a chainsaw saying he wants to cut down on bureaucracy. This highly symbolic gameplay, rather than being about government institutions, is more like a narrative-driven political experiment.

Birth of the Meme

On January 20, 2025, on the day Trump was sworn in, he signed an executive order to establish DOGE. People in the crypto circle were amused by this name—Elon Musk, a staunch fan of DOGE, actually brought the cryptocurrency meme directly into the political arena.

The design of the DOGE official website is filled with elements of crypto culture: the classic DOGE logo and a symbol system composed of Shiba Inu patterns. This design completely deconstructs the seriousness of government institutions, breaking the rigid image of the traditional bureaucratic system.

Elon Musk's promotion on the X platform has further strengthened this meme attribute. A photo of him holding a chainsaw with the caption “This is the chainsaw prepared for bureaucracy” is just like the kind of aggressive slogans commonly seen in the cryptocurrency circle. This set of communication strategies is strikingly similar to the methods he used when promoting DOGE back in the day.

The naming and spread of DOGE reflects a new form of political communication—borrowing from internet meme culture, subverting tradition with a sense of humor, and attempting to win the recognition of the younger generation and digital natives.

Cryptographic Operating Model

The operation of the DOGE department completely deviates from traditional government agencies and resembles more of a Silicon Valley startup. Musk hired about 50 young people in their twenties, and these team members, known as “little soldiers,” wear hoodies and jeans, completely unlike traditional government workers.

The team's youthfulness has brought about a radical working style. They rely on Red Bull to stay alive, rushing between various workplaces every day. In just three weeks, they have placed personnel in major federal agencies, controlling the flow of funds and screening contract projects.

AI technology has become the core weapon of DOGE. The team uses AI to carry out basic optimization work, digitizing all data from contract funding to employee travel reimbursements. AI tools quickly analyze resource waste and areas for optimization—such as discovering that government office buildings are idle and immediately terminating leases, saving $150 million.

This “fast action, breaking the mold” Silicon Valley spirit has caused a strong conflict in the political ecology of Washington. The DOGE team requires federal employees to submit weekly reports, and failure to do so will be considered as resignation; they threaten that employees who do not show up will be treated as on administrative leave.

The Rift Between Narrative and Reality

The initial goals set by the DOGE department were quite ambitious. Musk claimed to cut $2 trillion from the federal budget, while Ramaswamy proposed to optimize 70% of federal government employees. These figures are reminiscent of the exaggerated promotions commonly seen in the cryptocurrency space, aimed at attracting attention and generating buzz.

But reality soon revealed its flaws. Although DOGE claimed to have cut spending by about $160 billion, this only accounted for less than one-fifth of the target announced by Musk. There is a serious disconnect between the grand narrative and the actual execution.

The Democratic members of the U.S. Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations (PSI) released a report stating that DOGE has “wasted” more than $21 billion in fiscal funds over the past six months. The report pointed out that the suspension of some projects has led to significant losses: the freezing of a loan project by the Department of Energy resulted in approximately $263 million in lost interest income for the government; the shutdown of the U.S. Agency for International Development caused around $11 million worth of food and medicine to rot in warehouses.

The operating methods of the DOGE department have sparked multiple backlash. Democratic attorneys general from 14 states have sued Musk and Trump, accusing Trump of granting unconstitutional powers to Musk. DOGE is facing nearly 20 lawsuits, including allegations of violating the Privacy Act and unauthorized access to sensitive government data.

The Exit of White House Memes

From a high-profile debut to a quiet exit, the dissolution process of DOGE stands in stark contrast to its birth.

In May of this year, Musk announced his resignation from DOGE and publicly severed ties with Trump over the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act (”. By summer, DOGE personnel had gradually evacuated the headquarters, and the security checkpoints and authorized access signs had all disappeared.

Scott Cooper, the director of the U.S. Office of Personnel Management, publicly confirmed for the first time this month that DOGE no longer exists, and its functions have been taken over by the Office of Personnel Management. The government-wide hiring freeze, which was once a signature initiative of DOGE, has also ended.

Members of the DOGE team have taken on new roles within the government: Airbnb co-founder Joe Gebbia is responsible for the National Design Studio; Zachary Terrell serves as the Chief Technology Officer of the Department of Health and Human Services. This symbolizes that DOGE as an experimental attempt has come to an end, but some of its ideas are being incorporated into traditional government structures.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis commented on the X platform: “DOGE fought against the Swamp, but the Swamp won.” This political meme coin experiment ultimately ended in victory for the traditional political structure.

Symbolic economy is infiltrating the traditional political arena. Although the experiment in the DOGE sector ended prematurely, it signifies that the deep integration of politics and crypto culture is irreversible. In the future, we may see more political institutions and governance models with “crypto-native” characteristics. The key lies in how to combine the innovative spirit of the crypto world with the stability of traditional governance to create new models that have both symbolic appeal and substantive effectiveness.

Narrative is undoubtedly a powerful tool for building consensus, but a narrative that is disconnected from technological implementation and value creation is ultimately just a castle in the air. When the popularity of Meme symbols fades, what can truly remain in the industry are always those technologies and projects that solve real problems.