Musk and Milei Join the Cult of Disruption: Adrian Wooldridge

The cult of “disruption” is quickly spreading from the private sector to the public. Javier Milei, the president of Argentina, has axed ten ministries, reduced public spending by a third in real terms, and slashed red tape. Donald Trump, the incoming US president has tapped the world’s best known business disruptor, Elon Musk, to head a new department of government efficiency (DOGE).

Even the British Labour government has leapt on the trend. Prime Minister Keir Starmer has accused “too many civil servants” of “being comfortable in the tepid bath of managed decline.” The Cabinet Secretary Pat McFadden (whom many regard ...