Elon Musk, the billionaire CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, has announced that his time heading President Donald Trump’s cost-cutting initiative, known as the Department of Government Efficiency (Doge), is coming to a close.
Musk took to his social media platform, X, to thank President Trump for the opportunity to lead the department, which was designed to tackle wasteful spending within the federal government.
In his post, Musk, who was designated as a “special government employee,” thanked Trump for the role, acknowledging that his time with Doge, which allows him to work in the government for up to 130 days annually, was nearing its limit.
Musk’s tenure as a special government employee is set to end toward the end of May, as his time from Trump’s inauguration on January 20th is about to hit the annual cap.
Despite his exit from the government position, Musk reassured his followers that the mission of Doge would continue to thrive. “As my scheduled time as a Special Government Employee comes to an end, I would like to thank President @realDonaldTrump for the opportunity to reduce wasteful spending,” Musk wrote. “The @DOGE mission will only strengthen over time as it becomes a way of life throughout the government.”
Musk’s departure comes at a time of tension with the Trump administration. The billionaire entrepreneur had been outspoken in his criticism of Trump’s proposed budget, which includes multi-trillion-dollar tax cuts and a significant boost to defense spending.
In an interview with CBS Sunday Morning, Musk voiced his disappointment with the budget bill, calling it a move that would only increase the federal deficit and undermine the efforts he had been working on at Doge.
While Musk has now bid farewell to the White House, his political involvement has had a lasting impact on both his public image and his business ventures.
His political ties to Trump and his role as a megadonor had already stirred controversy, and recent financial challenges at Tesla have raised concerns about how political sentiment could continue to affect the company’s prospects.
Tesla recently warned investors that the impact of changing political landscapes could hurt demand for its electric vehicles, causing the company to refrain from issuing growth forecasts.
Musk has also made it clear that his focus will now shift back to his primary businesses.
During Tesla’s recent earnings call, Musk mentioned that his involvement with Doge would “drop significantly,” and that he would be dedicating more of his time to running Tesla.
The White House is set to begin the formal “offboarding” process of Musk on Wednesday evening, marking the end of a political chapter for the mogul.
However, the future of Doge appears assured, with Musk emphasizing that the department’s mission to improve government efficiency will continue to have lasting effects.
As Musk moves on from his role with the Trump administration, his impact on both politics and business remains a subject of debate—one that will continue to evolve in the coming months.
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