From Tesla to DOGE: The Future of Efficiency Matters
Can Elon Musk Lead the Charge for a More Consumer-Friendly Government?
One Sunday morning, I sat at the breakfast table mindlessly scrolling through reels while my wife prepared hot and crispy Dosas. Before the first Dosa could reach my hungry plate, Dani called.
“I got your email enquiry. So, you are interested in buying a Tesla? That’s wonderful and this is a great time to buy with the 0% APR for 60 months. I can help you start your order.”
It was quick conversation, hardly 15 mins. Dani confirmed that the Tesla Model Y in the exact color and configuration I was looking for was available for immediate delivery near my location.
Dani’s role ended soon after I downloaded the Tesla app and “the product” loaded on to my screen. She went completely dark after that day. Dani who!?
The hot Dosas on my plate waiting to be devoured had to wait because my hands were busy swiping and tapping through the 9-step Tesla buying process.
It was quicker than it would take a car sales agent at a traditional dealership to fill up a form with your details, and then disappear with it for a while as you waited anxiously wondering what kind of offer he would come back with.
I was able to skip the trade-in step for later, then submitted the application. The cold Dosas on my plate were a welcome distraction as I waited for the verdict.
10 mins later, the Tesla app alerted me. Two new notifications. The first one congratulated me on being approved. The next one was from a bank offering me 0.99% APR. Before I could contemplate the offer, the third DING!
Wells Fargo to the rescue. Yes, the same Wells Fargo that received a $25 billion dollars government bailout during the 2008 financial crisis, only to end up paying millions and billions of dollars in fines for several class-action suits and federal investigations, specifically the fake accounts scandal.1
So, Wells Fargo it is. Tap, swipe and accept. The 0% APR deal was locked and loaded. Then I scheduled my pickup at the local Tesla showroom/service center.
That was it. I ordered a Tesla in under an hour at the breakfast table in my pajamas as I ate Dosas. It was that easy.
Did I really need to talk to Dani first? No! I could have browsed the available inventory on the app, found the vehicle, and started the buying process all by myself. That’s what Elon wants.
This direct-to-consumer business model introduced by Tesla takes the middle men, the car salesmen and the pencil-pushing finance guys, all out of the equation. You don’t ever have to step into a dealership or try to haggle your way to what may look like a good deal only on paper but never for your pocket.
Tesla’s d2c model changes the traditional in-person car buying experience that we are all used to, challenging the corporate behemoths of auto dealerships who are backed by the National Automobile Dealer Associate (NADA) lobbyists and their state affiliates.2
"Car dealers are one of the most important secular forces in American conservatism," far outspending the NRA in federal and state lobbying, but Fox News comedian Greg Gutfeld elicited audience grumbling when he praised Tesla chief Elon Musk during his set at the NADA convention, Sammon reported. Musk, "even as he becomes a right-wing hero in some circles, was so villainous 'round these parts I'd barely heard his name whispered all weekend."
The future is already here.
Imagine this. You arrive at your local DMV office. You have already completed your online test with a passing score. You walk in. There are no tokens to take, no waiting, and absolutely no one to talk to.
You use a kiosk to authorize your app and confirm your driving test appointment. Your phone guides you to a Tesla parked at a marked spot. You unlock it with a virtual phone key. Then you put the vehicle and off you go on your the driving test. Your instructor is the Tesla.
A pre-defined driving route is already on navigation mode. The Tesla on-board cameras will monitor your activity. The dash-cam records your every action. If you make too many mistakes the Tesla will take over and drive you back. If you pass the test your license will be printed instantly upon return.
Far fetched? Not at all. The technology exists today.
Two days after I had ordered by Tesla Model Y, my wife and I took an uber to the local Tesla showroom. When we arrived there were no car salesmen hanging around, just a sea of Teslas in marked parking spots.
We walked into an empty waiting room. There was no one to greet us, no signs, just a man who appeared 5 mins later to have us sign a form to order the license plate.
The man, who is likely to be replaced by a humanoid someday soon, sent us back out to the parking lot. He said that our Tesla was parked at spot #70. Just accept delivery on the Tesla app and my phone would unlock the car.
The Tesla unlocked itself as I got near. We got in and drove away, surprised by the absence of the human touch but impressed by the ingenuity of an efficient process.
Not far fetched at all. All it takes is someone to boldly implement it, someone like Elon Musk (and Vivek Ramaswamy).
Can’t every process be this boring and user-friendly? Isn’t this the future we have all imagined - The Jetsons life?
It’s already here. We need the Elon Musk’s of the world to be unwavering in acting on their visions and use their unlimited resources to expand these direct-to-consumer models to every redundant part of our lives.
The DOGE is where it can all begin if this new commission can thrive and grow to it’s full potential under the watchful eyes of the Trump administration.
Unless, as some political pundits are saying, this was all just a ruse to keep Elon Musk out of the White House and Mar-a-lago.
Not if, the DOGE only focuses on implementing Trump’s political promises and agendas.
Or what if, the government is too big and too set in its orthodox structure and thinking that any true efficiency is at best a pipe dream.3
In President Reagan’s time, the Grace Commission, like DOGE strictly an advisory body, sifted through the maze of the federal universe and came up with a passel of recommendations. Most of them went nowhere.
The answers will reveal itself in time because this DOGE and pony show is yet to begin. So, stay tuned.
