Elon Musk has concluded his tenure as a special government employee in the Trump administration, where he was instrumental in efforts aimed at reducing the size of the U.S. federal government through the initiative known as Doge. Announcing his departure on his social media platform X, Musk expressed gratitude to President Trump for the appointment, which allowed him to assist in trimming down what he termed “wasteful spending.” The White House confirmed that Musk’s offboarding process began on Wednesday night.
His exit follows a wave of controversies surrounding Trump's key legislative proposals. Just a day prior, Musk publicly criticized Trump's substantial budget bill, arguing that it undermined the objectives of Doge. He expressed disappointment, stating, “I think a bill can be big or it could be beautiful, but I don’t know if it could be both.” Initial targets outlined by Musk aimed for up to $2 trillion in cuts but were later scaled back to a much-reduced figure of $150 billion. Reports suggest approximately 260,000 employees from the federal workforce faced layoffs or accepted voluntary redundancy.
The rapid approach of Doge towards job cuts sparked widespread backlash, with federal judges intervening to reverse some decisions. Musk's experience in the administration was overshadowed by deteriorating sales at his electric car company, Tesla, which suffered a notable 13% decline in Q1, marking its steepest drop in deliveries ever. This decline coincided with Musk’s time in government, leading him to shift his focus back to Tesla as he faced mounting scrutiny, including calls from activists to boycott the company.
Speaking at an economic forum in Doha, Musk reiterated his commitment to Tesla, intending to lead the firm through the next five years. Following a significant financial investment supporting Trump's campaign, he indicated that he would scale back political contributions moving forward.
