Elon Musk Resigns from Trump Government

Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk has officially stepped down from his role as a Special Government Employee (SGE), a position he held under the Trump administration, amid growing protests and mounting scrutiny over his multiple business challenges.

In a post shared on X, Musk thanked US President Donald Trump for the opportunity, saying, “As my scheduled time as a Special Government Employee comes to an end, I would like to thank President Donald Trump for the opportunity to reduce wasteful spending. The DOGE mission will only strengthen over time as it becomes a way of life throughout the government.”

The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), an initiative designed to cut federal waste and increase accountability, was launched under Trump with Musk as a high-profile tech-sector appointee. Musk’s exit from the initiative comes as he returns full-time to his corporate roles, facing mounting pressure to stabilize his companies.

Speaking to CNN earlier this week, Musk revealed he was back to “spending 24/7 at work” and sleeping in conference rooms. His signature “extremely hardcore” work ethic is reportedly being redeployed as he attempts to rescue a range of faltering ventures, from declining Tesla sales and Cybertruck skepticism to operational issues at X and instability at his AI startup, xAI.

In recent days, X suffered a major outage just weeks after xAI's chatbot Grok sparked controversy for amplifying conspiracy theories. Meanwhile, SpaceX’s latest Starship test ended in failure, with the rocket breaking up over the Indian Ocean shortly after launch.

Investors, however, appear cautiously optimistic. Tesla shares have surged 25% over the past month, although they remain well below their December highs. Confidence in Musk’s return hinges on his ability to resolve Tesla’s challenges and meet promises, including the imminent launch of a long-teased autonomous robotaxi service in Austin, Texas.

In a separate video released on Tuesday, Musk expressed frustration over Trump’s recently proposed tax and spending cuts. “I was disappointed to see the massive spending bill, frankly, which increases the budget deficit, not just decreases it, and undermines the work that the DOGE team is doing,” he said, taking aim at legislation he believes contradicts DOGE's goals.

“I think a bill can be big or it can be beautiful, but I don’t know if it can be both,” Musk added.

Despite Musk’s departure, the DOGE initiative is expected to continue. Embedded staffers across federal agencies will remain in place for months or even years, as the program moves forward without its highest-profile advocate.

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