Tech mogul and co-head of Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), Elon Musk, defended the newly formed body’s efficiency amid criticism from Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.)

What Happened: Taking a dig at the appointment of Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy to lead the highly-touted department, the three-time senator wrote in an X post, “The Office of Government Efficiency is off to a great start with split leadership: two people to do the work of one person. Yeah, this seems REALLY efficient.”

Musk clapped back by saying, “Unlike you, neither of us are being paid, so it is very efficient indeed,” perhaps revealing for the first time that he won’t be drawing any salary for the work.

He expressed his confidence in DOGE’s potential to benefit the American people. “Let history be the judge.”

See Also: Ted Cruz Says Running DOGE Won’t Be A Cake Walk, Offers Reading Advice To Elon Musk

Why It Matters: The initiative, aimed at restructuring federal agencies and reducing government spending, became a huge talking point leading up to the elections, and with the official appointments, curiosity around its operations has grown even more.

Amid the hype, Senator Ted Cruz (R-Texas), who is considered close to Musk, said that running the department would be challenging for someone from a private corporation due to the stark differences in incentives between the government and private companies.

Warren won her third Senate term in Massachusetts, beating pro-cryptocurrency opponent John Deaton. Musk, a supporter of cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin BTC/USD and Dogecoin DOGE/USD, was supportive of Deaton’s candidacy.

Warren has been detested by the cryptocurrency community because of her overtly critical stance on the industry. She has argued for more regulations on the sector, arguing that it facilitates illegal activities that are largely untraceable.

In her defense, Warren said that she was okay with people buying and trading cryptocurrencies as long as they were subjected to the same laws as the traditional market.

Image via Shutterstock

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