Government, funding, procurement, and practice have an inertia all their own, something that is easy to override in business. The reality is that Elon's brilliance worked in the private sector, but has come up against the molasses in January resistance of the bureaucratic leviathan to change. By statute and practice, some things cannot be rapidly changed, and by design, the Constitution is resistant to change also.
The rules are different, and would frustrate anyone used to the relatively nimble actions of the business world.
Elon has identified, with the help of the DOGE team, targets for efficiency increases and cutting waste, but hitting those targets will take a longer game. He has businesses to run, and should, hopefully, be able to return to that without enmity, and the actual thanks of the American People for his service.