Now, as Musk leaves the Trump administration and returns to the private sector—and as the two men engage in oafish public meltdowns on their respective social media platforms—the question of whether DOGE was, on balance, “worth it” for Musk sort of depends on what happens to his portfolio over the next quarter or so.

President Donald Trump and Elon Musk spent most of Thursday fighting online. This shouldn’t be what Americans remember about DOGE.