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On November 13, Donald Trump appointed Elon Musk to head the Department of Government Efficiency. This department has only just been invented, and it was most likely Elon Musk who whispered this idea in the president-elect's ear. And for good reason, the organization's acronym, D.O.G.E, refers to one of the most iconic memes on the web.
From meme to cryptocurrency
This meme, which you must have come across during your hours surfing the World Wide Web, is characterized by the photo of a Shiba Inu named Kabosu, with a puzzled expression, whose photo was initially posted by his Japanese mistress in 2010. The image is often accompanied by a multi-colored text in Comic Sans font, which represents an internal monologue. The term ” doge ” comes from the cartoon Homestar Runner, where the character Strong Bad calls his dog that in an episode broadcast in 2005.
The doge meme became a real sensation starting in 2013. So much so that it inspired the creation of the cryptocurrency Dogecoin, initially as a joke. The currency quickly became popular on Reddit, but it was in 2019 that its story took a new turn.
” Dogecoin might be my favorite cryptocurrency. It's pretty cool “, Elon Musk tweeted at the time. The following year, he published a meme about Dogecoin taking over the global financial system, causing its value to briefly spike. In fact, the billionaire's various tweets about this cryptocurrency have often caused its value to fluctuate, earning him complaints from users.
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Thousands of potential layoffs
Au Over the years, Elon Musk has tweeted repeatedly about doge and Dogecoin, calling the meme “ the best humor ». He even briefly changed Twitter’s official logo to doge in April 2023. One of his most retweeted accounts on the platform is called DogeDesigner. Tesla and SpaceX, for their part, have allowed their customers to purchase products by paying in Dogecoin.
This is why designating one of the ministries of the world’s leading power in this way raises many questions. Especially since its mission could lead to the dismissal of thousands of civil servants. Elon Musk has indeed set his sights on cutting federal government spending as much as possible, which could lead to the elimination of entire administrations.
But this reality seems far from worrying the billionaire, who is already jubilant at the idea of hearing journalists, whom he despises so much, pronounce the word doge.
- The acronym of the ministry that Elon Musk will lead, DOGE, refers to one of the most popular memes on the Internet.
- This meme is also at the origin of the creation of a cryptocurrency.
- The ministry will have the mission of drastically reducing the State budget.
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