Public transcript

Elon Musk on DOGE, AI, & Are we in a Simulation? | KMP Ep.18

By: Katie Miller Pod
Length: 53 min
Language: English
Text from: the video's captions
Transcribed: 13 October 2026

Read the full transcript Open on YouTube

Notes in English.

Summary

Elon Musk sits down with Katie Miller in Texas for a wide-ranging interview covering his time leading DOGE, his views on AI, immigration and government spending, and why he would not do DOGE again. He discusses Starship and making life multiplanetary, simulation theory, fashion stagnation, and his daily routines. The conversation closes with rapid-fire personal questions about food, family and dinner-party guests.

Key points

Musk rates DOGE as only 'somewhat successful' and says he would not do it again, preferring to have worked on his companies instead.
He claims DOGE stopped roughly $100–200 billion per year in 'zombie payments' by requiring payment codes and explanations on Treasury computers.
He argues stopping money for 'political corruption' triggers a strong backlash, referencing burned cars.
Musk predicts AI and robotics will make work optional, and says AI is what gives him nightmares.
He calls Starship the first fully reusable rocket design and says life becoming multiplanetary is a top-10 event in the evolution of life.
He believes the most interesting outcome is the most likely, because a simulation would be shut down if it got boring.
He sleeps about six hours a night and says context switching is the real 'mind killer', not fear.
He says he has seen no evidence of aliens and confirms he believes we went to the moon.
He says X's new Grok-based recommendation algorithm, reading all 100 million posts per day, should go live in December.
He came to North America at 17 with about $2,500 Canadian, one bag of books and one bag of clothes.

Questions it answers

00:00DOGE reflections

Does Elon Musk think DOGE was successful, and would he do it again?

He calls DOGE only somewhat successful, saying it stopped wasteful funding including $100–200 billion per year in zombie payments. He would not do it again, saying he would instead have worked on his companies.

DOGE's name came from internet suggestions two or three months before launch.
He attributes backlash, including burned cars, to stopping money for political corruption.

05:55Government and immigration

What did Musk learn about how government operates?

He says the biggest thing is massive transfer payments to illegal immigrants, including flying them in and fast-tracking citizenship, which he calls voter importation. He wants the least amount done by government possible.

He cites Ilhan Omar and Mamdani as examples of his claims.
He says he doesn't want America to become a communist hell hole.

08:05AI and the future of work

What does Musk predict about AI and jobs?

He predicts AI and robotics will provide all goods and services, making work optional. He would slow AI down if he could but can't, and AI is what gives him nightmares.

He separates what he predicts from what he wants.
He has had AI nightmares many days in a row.

10:00Routine, fears and public life

What is Elon Musk's daily life like?

He sleeps about six hours, spends his day on information triage, and segments his days to avoid context switching, which he calls the real mind killer. He can't go where the general public is due to selfie lines and security concerns reinforced by Charlie Kirk's murder.

He tries to squelch irrational fears.
He finds President Trump naturally funny and looks up to the creator.

14:00Starship and Mars

Why does Musk think Starship matters so much?

He calls Starship the first rocket design where full and rapid reusability is possible, with over 10,000 changes between V2 and V3. He ranks life becoming multiplanetary in the top 10 events in the evolution of life.

The Mars sales pitch: uncomfortable, bad food, possible death, may not succeed.
Starbase is a legally incorporated city built on a sandbar near the Rio Grande.

19:00Fashion, conspiracies, the moon

What does Musk think about fashion and conspiracy theories?

He says fashion hasn't changed since 2015 or even 2000, quoting his son Saxon's question about why everything looks like 2015. He jokes that all conspiracy theories have come true, but says he has seen no evidence of aliens and confirms we went to the moon and played golf there.

He has asked his SpaceX senior team and no one has evidence of aliens.
UFOs are likely just weapons prototypes.

29:50Simulation theory

Does Elon Musk think we're living in a simulation?

He argues the most interesting outcome is the most likely, because whoever runs a simulation would shut it off when it gets boring — comparing us to an alien Netflix series. He says the goal is to keep it interesting so they don't delete us.

Time travel and teleportation would break reality unless we're a simulation.
Simulations are like saved games that don't need to be consistent.

44:40Rapid fire questions

What personal details does Musk share at the end?

He came to North America at 17 with about $2,500 Canadian, one bag of books and one bag of clothes. His favorite food is cheeseburgers, he eats steak and eggs for breakfast, and his dinner party guests would be Shakespeare, Ben Franklin and Nikola Tesla.

He would probably write video games if not running his companies.
His most-used emoji is the laughing emoji.

Notes

DOGE and Government Efficiency

Musk describes DOGE as a name made up two or three months before January 20th, based on internet suggestions, instead of the Government Efficiency Commission.
He rates it as only 'somewhat successful', citing the elimination of an estimated $100–200 billion per year in zombie payments by requiring payment codes and explanations on the Treasury's main computer.
Asked whether he would do DOGE again, he says no — he would have worked on his companies instead, noting that cars wouldn't have been burning if he had.
He says stopping money for political corruption provokes a very strong reaction from those who want it to keep flowing.
He claims there are massive transfer payments to illegal immigrants, including flying them in, fast-tracking citizenship and making them dependent on government payments — which he calls 'voter importation', citing Ilhan Omar and Mamdani as examples. He says he doesn't want America to become a 'communist hell hole'.

AI and the Future

Assuming current trends continue, Musk predicts AI and robotics will provide all goods and services, making work optional.
He distinguishes what he predicts from what he wants: he would slow AI down if he could, but can't.
AI is what wakes him in nightmares; he has had AI nightmares many days in a row.

Personal Life and Routine

He sleeps six hours a night (timed at 5 hours 56 minutes) and finds less sleep reduces cognitive function.
His day is 'information triage' with segmented days to limit context switching, which he calls the real mind killer.
He can't go where the general public is due to selfie lines and security concerns, reinforced by Charlie Kirk's murder — 'life is on hardcore mode'.
He finds President Trump naturally funny and looks up to 'the creator'.

Starship and Multiplanetary Life

Starship is the first rocket design where full and rapid reusability is possible; V3 has over 10,000 changes from V2.
He ranks life becoming multiplanetary in the top 10 events in the evolution of life, alongside single-cell life and mitochondria capture.
The Mars 'sales pitch': it will be uncomfortable, the food won't be as good, you might die, and it may not succeed.
Starbase, built on a sandbar near the Rio Grande, is now an incorporated city.

Simulation Theory

His theory: the most interesting outcome is the most likely, because boring simulations get shut off — 'we're an alien Netflix series'.
Time travel and teleportation would break reality unless we're a simulation, where they're like restoring saved games.
His one goal: 'Keep it interesting' so whoever runs the simulation doesn't delete us.

Rapid Fire

He came to North America at 17 with about $2,500 Canadian, one bag of books and one bag of clothes in Montreal.
Favorite food: cheeseburgers ('a genius invention'); breakfast is steak and eggs and coffee, usually no lunch.
Dinner party guests: Shakespeare, Ben Franklin and Nikola Tesla, with an epic 12-course meal.

Text from the video's own captions. Summary and notes written by AI from the transcript, so check anything important against the recording.