Elon Musk on Wednesday said that his time as formal adviser to US President Donald Trump is coming to a close.
“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 posted on X.
“The @DOGE mission will only strengthen over time as it becomes a way of life throughout the government,” he wrote, referring to the US Department of Government Efficiency.
Photo: AP
By law, Musk’s status as a temporary government official was set to run out as soon as today, although the exact date was subject to an accounting of his actual days worked.
A White House official familiar with the move, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss a personnel matter, said that Musk began the off-boarding process on Wednesday night.
The departure was a decision the technology entrepreneur made on his own with the support of the president, the source said.
The move comes shortly after Musk gave an interview critical of Trump’s biggest legislative priority — the tax cut proposal known as the “One Big Beautiful Bill” — as not doing enough to reduce federal deficits.
Musk’s campaign to slash the size of the US government sent shock waves through Washington, with some agencies eliminated outright, and tens of thousands of federal workers cut or convinced to accept buyouts.
Trump originally gave the effort a sunset date of July 4 next year, allowing the department nearly 18 months to find what Musk said might be US$2 trillion in savings.
Musk, 53, has joked that his White House title was “chief nothing officer” and said he was not essential to the mission.
Trump and Musk have previously declined to lay out a succession plan for the department. The project was Musk’s brainchild — even down to the acronym that paid homage to an Internet-famous dog meme.
“DOGE is a way of life, like Buddhism,” he joked during one briefing, suggesting that the effort would proceed even after his exit. “Buddha isn’t alive anymore. You wouldn’t ask the question: ‘Who would lead Buddhism?’”
The three people who he brought to that interview — Steve Davis, Antonio Gracias and Anthony Armstrong — have taken up key outposts at the US General Services Administration, the US Social Security Administration and the US Office of Personnel Management, with the agencies among the most active in implementing the departments efforts to cut fraud and spending.
However, the department’s work has drawn lawsuits over its authority and access to government data.
Musk has also faced questions regarding conflicts of interest for a tech entrepreneur whose business interests already make him a major player in federal contracts.
The backlash against Musk over his high-profile political work sparked concerns among investors over the fallout for his companies, most prominently Tesla.
Tesla sales fell to a nearly three-year low in the first quarter of the year and the stock price plummeted, leading many Wall Street analysts to slash growth expectations.
Tesla vehicles, showrooms and charger stations endured protests and acts of vandalism, with the Cybertruck being a particular target for critics of Musk.
Trump and others have rallied around the Tesla CEO, including an event on the White House grounds where the president viewed Tesla models before settling on buying a red Model S.
Musk has openly acknowledged the challenges of managing his businesses — Tesla, SpaceX, XAI Holdings, Neuralink and The Boring Co — along with his work in Washington.
The Tesla CEO last month told investors that he would soon devote “far more” of his time to the automaker, sending shares in the company higher.
Earlier this month, he told Bloomberg News in an interview that he now planned to pull back on political spending because “I think I’ve done enough.”
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