Elon Musk said so long to his official government role this evening, as his status as a special government employee expires.
“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 led the Department of Government Efficiency effort to slash government agencies, wreaking havoc across the federal workforce as he and his staff quickly moved to shut down USAID, among other entities. Musk boasted of the achievement by brandishing a chainsaw at CPAC.
But his actions drove up his unpopularity and tarnished the brand of Tesla, while Musk signaled earlier this month that he would start moving away from politics to spend more time on his companies. He reportedly clashed with other administration officials, including Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent. They at one point had a shouting match at the White House over Musk’s efforts to install his own acting director of the IRS, according to a report in The Atlantic.
In an interview this week with CBS News’ David Pogue, Musk was critical of Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill,” the massive tax and spending package that recent passed the House. Although it would extend Trump’s tax cuts from his first term, the legislation also is estimated to add trillions to the deficit.