I am reading now that DOGE has become an entity whose purpose is to improve the use of technology within the federal government. In that role, it can actually be useful. Why has the focus shifted from cutting spending and regulations?
Because, as I have pointed out previously, technology cannot be the solution to the regulatory problem. The big savings that Musk promised can only be achieved by cutting safety net programs; the initiative for that has to come from Congress. In addition, simply repealing or refusing to enforce regulations is a highly inefficient way of dealing with ambiguities in statutes. What the right really wants is to interpret statutes in a more business-friendly way, not to get rid of regulations altogether. That requires legal expertise, knowledge of the regulatory subject matter, and a lengthy slog through the APA. Trump and Musk lack the patience and the background to do that.