As Musk slowed down his attitude towards the Republican Party, people thought that Musk wanted to "reconcile" with Trump, at least making the relationship between the two less awkward.
However, unexpectedly, Musk smiled bitterly at the Los Angeles Technology Conference and admitted that he never wanted to go back after leaving Washington. The US government debt is so high that even artificial intelligence may not be able to save it.
According to reference news on September 11, Musk publicly stated that "the US government is basically out of salvation."
Musk said, "the interest expenditure on U.S. Treasury bonds has exceeded the Pentagon budget." He also mentioned with a special smile that the Pentagon had just been renamed "Ministry of War", but the name change could not solve the problem.
Ironically, the direct cost of this name change is expected to be as high as US$230 million, including document reprinting, logo replacement, uniform replacement, etc., which is only the smallest part of the expense.
People have seen that this billionaire, who was once invited by Trump to serve as the head of the government's efficiency department, has now become one of the most acute critics of the American bureaucracy.
Recalling in January this year, after Trump returned to the White House, he immediately established the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) and invited Musk to be the head. This political and technological marriage was once highly expected.
Musk, with his successful experiences at Tesla and SpaceX, was confident that he wanted to carry out structural reforms to the federal government. He plans to reduce redundant staff, crack down on waste, improve efficiency, and even emphasizes the need to use technologies such as artificial intelligence to achieve government modernization.
However, reality gave him a heavy blow. Musk's reforms quickly sparked a strong rebound, with thousands of federal employees laid off and multiple key projects and government contracts cut.
This reform, which was originally intended to improve efficiency, eventually caused great controversy at the political and social levels.
Musk later admitted that this government experience was "extremely frustrating" and said it had hurt his business interests and brand image. The billionaire who once dreamed of using technology to transform the government eventually left sadly.
Now, what Musk is most worried about is the huge amount of US Treasury bonds. Behind this data is a terrible reality. The U.S. has paid more than the entire defense budget every year, and the defense budget has historically accounted for one of the largest shares of U.S. federal spending.
Musk warned: "If artificial intelligence and robots cannot solve the U.S. national debt problem, the United States will be done." This statement comes from the mouth of a technology giant who has always advocated technological optimism, which makes Americans feel very upset.
What is even more worrying is that Musk and Trump's differences stem from debt issues. In May, he had serious differences with Trump over the Republican "The Great Beauty Act".
The bill advocates the implementation of large-scale tax cuts, which are widely concerned that this will further push up the U.S. fiscal deficit.
Musk has never returned to Washington, D.C. since breaking with Trump in May. The tech tycoon, who was once ambitious to transform the government, finally chose to stay away from the political whirlpool.
This sense of disillusionment comes not only from the cruelty of political struggles, but also from the complete disappointment with the US government. Musk found that even with the technology, resources, and the support of the president, it would be almost impossible to change a huge and stubborn bureaucracy.
