Peter Thiel: ‘Never Bet Against Elon’—Warns US GDP Deficits Are Unsustainable

Key Takeaways

• Peter Thiel believes the newly formed DOGE agency is crucial for the government’s efficiency. 
• PayPal co-founder suggested the current unchecked agency spending has made the GDP deficit unsuitable.
• Thiel’s apparent endorsement of DOGE is also a nod to Elon Musk.

American entrepreneur and PayPal co-founder Peter Thiel has endorsed Elon Musk and his newly formed Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) . Thiel claimed it’s never a good idea to “bet against Elon.”

Thiel’s comments were shared in an interview with Piers Morgan, during which he shared his views on how DOGE, as an agency, will play a role in the White House’s efficiency management.

Peter Thiel Says DC Should Take DOGE Seriously

DOGE was created as an oversight agency that will work independently of Donald Trump’s government but will offer key suggestions on managing load across various agencies.

Elon Musk, who will lead the department along with Vivek Ramaswamy , has floated several ideas, including an audit of the key government agencies.

Thiel believes many blue-collar executives across DC believe that DOGE is going nowhere. 

“The strong consensus view in the D.C. establishment is that this will go nowhere. That it’s just absolutely impossible to fix things, and this will be a very frustrating dead end.”

However, the Wall Street billionaire who has worked closely with Musk warned that one should never bet against Musk.

Thiel also drew attention to the extraordinary waste of resources and capital due to government agencies’ inefficiency. For example, the Pentagon failed an audit for the seventh time, while agencies like the IRS and others are also on the DOGE’s radar.

Thiel added that the 6% GDP deficit cannot be sustained at the current rate. He said that the government should work on ensuring accountability to bring efficiency and the budget back on track.

High Taxation or Spending Cuts?

The formation of DOGE has been controversial from the start. Although it is not an official government agency, it has been tasked with monitoring other government agencies.

While DC bureaucrats may share their displeasure, Thiel believes DOGE is the only way forward amid the economic crisis.

The tech billionaire said there are only two ways to avert the current crisis: choose a European-style socialist route and increase the tax burden on common citizens or ensure government agency accountability by cutting massive spending without accountability.

“I take this election in the US for standing for the proposition we’re not going to go the European-style socialist route of having massive tax hikes.”

“you need to try something like the DOGE thing. And that’s actually what is going to happen.”

Elon Musk has proven his critics wrong on several occasions in the past. However, despite promising ideas, taking on and leading a functioning government body will be quite a task for the Tesla CEO.