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Elon Musk’s popularity is waning as Americans reveal they do not believe he has helped to cut government waste, according to a new poll.

Musk, who was appointed by President Donald Trump to lead the so-called Department of Government Efficiency, is regarded more negatively now than he was in February, a Washington Post-ABC News-Ipsos poll found.

The poll found that 35 percent of Americans approve of the way the billionaire is handling his job in Trump’s White House, compared to 57 percent who disapprove. In a February poll by the newspaper, 49 percent disapproved. The Tesla boss’ approval rating has not changed significantly since February, when it was 34 percent.

DOGE claims it has saved an estimated $160 billion through mass layoffs and gutting federal agencies. But Musk’s role in cutting waste and eliminating fraud from the federal government is not deemed as successful by Americans as he might like.

While 43 percent said federal government waste has decreased under Trump, 31 percent said it stayed the same and 25 percent said it had increased.

When asked about fraud, 34 percent said it has increased under Trump, 34 percent said it has stayed the same and 32 percent said it has decreased.

Musk said he would be reducing his time with DOGE beginning next month after his electric car company Tesla reported its lowest revenue since Q3 2021. Last week, the company reported its lowest revenue since Q3 2021, with a double miss EPS of $0.27 vs an estimated $0.39 and revenue of $19.34 billion vs a $21.11 billion estimate. Tesla’s net income fell 71 percent in the first quarter.

Musk said he would still be working with the Trump administration one or two days a week. “Starting next month, I’ll be allocating far more of my time to Tesla,” he said last week.

A scientist whose work helped transform the field of artificial intelligence says he’s “kind of glad” to be 77 — because he may not live long enough to witness the technology’s potentially dangerous consequences.

Geoffrey Hinton, often referred to as the “godfather of AI,” warned in a CBS News interview that aired Saturday that AI is advancing faster than experts once predicted — and that once it surpasses human intelligence, humanity may not be able to prevent it from taking control.

“Things more intelligent than you are going to be able to manipulate you,” said Hinton, who was awarded the 2024 Nobel Prize in physics for his breakthroughs in machine learning.

He compared humans advancing AI to raising a tiger. “It’s just such a cute tiger cub,” he said. “Now, unless you can be very sure that it’s not gonna wanna kill you when it’s grown up, you should worry.”

Hinton estimated a “sort of 10 to 20% chance” that AI systems could eventually seize control, though he stressed that it’s impossible to predict exactly.

One reason for his concern is the rise of AI agents, which don’t just answer questions but can perform tasks autonomously. “Things have got, if anything, scarier than they were before,” Hinton said.

The timeline for superintelligent AI may also be shorter than expected, Hinton said. A year ago, he believed it would be five to 20 years before the arrival of AI that can surpass human intelligence in every domain. Now, he says “there’s a good chance it’ll be here in 10 years or less.”

Hinton also warned that global competition between tech companies and nations makes it “very, very unlikely” that humanity will avoid building superintelligence. “They’re all after the next shiny thing,” he said. “The issue is whether we can design it in such a way that it never wants to take control.”

Hinton also expressed disappointment with tech companies he once admired. He said he was “very disappointed” that Google — where he worked for more than a decade — reversed its stance against military applications of AI. “I wouldn’t be happy working for any of them today,” he added.

Hinton resigned from Google in 2023. He said he left so he could speak freely about the dangers of AI development. He is now a professor emeritus at the University of Toronto.

Hinton and Google did not immediately respond to Business Insider’s request for comment.

Not just Donald Trump, but the US President’s DOGE major-domo Elon Musk’s approval rating by Americans, also looks very glum.

As Donald Trump is set to complete 100 days in office, 57 percent of Americans said they disapprove of Elon Musk’s performance for the Trump administration, as per polls by several media outlets including ABC News, Ipsos, Washington Post, others.

Meanwhile, 35 percent of US citizens approved of the Mars mission leader’s performance as part of Trump administration 2.0.

Why is Elon Musk’s approval rating low?

Angst against Trump’s federal cuts; layoffs, spearheaded by Elon Musk; shutting down of the Education Department are major factors behind the Tesla boss’s negative ratings as per the ABC News/Washington Post/Ipsos poll released ahead of Donald Trump’ 100 days completion at his office.

Trump going too far in federal cuts?

As per the latest polls, 56 per cent of the respondents said they think Donald Trump is going too far in laying off federal workers, an effort led by Elon Musk, and around 57 per cent shared they think Trump is going too far in closing federal agencies.

Among people who think the layoffs are going too far, Musk has a dismal 6%-89% rating, approve-disapprove. That compares with 72%-16% among those who say the level of layoffs is about right or has not gone far enough, reported ABC News.

Ratings against shutting of Education Department

As per the ABC/Ipsos/ Washington poll, sixty-six percent of respondents opposed closing the Department of Education, and 77% are against reducing federal funding for medical research. Those who oppose such cuts also tend to have a negative view of Musk’s efforts.

Opinions about Musk’s work are also linked to perceptions of waste within the federal government. Forty-three percent of respondents believe waste has decreased since Trump took office, and Musk has a 67%-26% approval rating among this group, reported ABC News.

Donald Trump’s approval rating ‘horrible’?

According to a CNN poll, Donald Trump received an approval rating of 41% — the lowest for any newly elected president at the 100-day mark — dating back at least to Dwight Eisenhower. This rating is even lower than Trump’s approval at the same point in his first term.

CNN’s chief data analyst, Harry Enten, was blunt in his analysis: “These numbers are just horrible, there’s no way to sugarcoat it.”