WIRED Highlights: DOGE Is Still Alive, Facebook Dating Is Legit, and Amazon’s AI Aspirations

Leah Feiger: That’s an excellent question, and it’s something I’ve contemplated for a while. If you don’t mind, I’d like to share a quote from Scott Kupor, the director of OPM and former managing partner at Andreessen Horowitz, just to provide context about the current administration. He shared this on X last month as part of Reuters’ reporting. He stated, “The truth is, DOGE may not have centralized leadership under USDS anymore, but the principles of DOGE remain robust: deregulation, eliminating fraud, waste and abuse, reshaping the federal workforce, and so on.” This echoes their consistent messaging, but it feels like smoke and mirrors. There’s this notion that, “Oh, DOGE doesn’t exist in the same way anymore.” Elon Musk himself noted in his podcast with Joe Rogan last month that, “Once I left, they were unable to pin down anyone, but DOGE still exists.” It’s astonishing to see people believe that DOGE is gone when they’re literally declaring otherwise.

Zoë Schiffer: One thing that feels increasingly evident is the blurring lines between DOGE and the Trump administration. They’ve penetrated numerous facets of government, and the DOGE ethos—deregulation, cost-cutting, zero-based budgeting—has become foundational for the administration, right?

Leah Feiger: That’s a solid observation. By the time Elon Musk’s influence waned, it became apparent that the Trump administration didn’t necessarily oppose DOGE’s principles; rather, they were frustrated with Musk’s approach. They disapproved of his clashes with Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and the negative optics of conflicts outside the Oval Office. This situation didn’t inspire confidence in the Trump administration’s ability to manage effectively.