Tech mogul and billionaire Elon Musk confirmed on Wednesday that he’s ending his stint as a U.S. special government employee, a move that implies he’ll also step down as the de-facto head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), a body that seeks to drastically slash U.S. government spending.
Thanking U.S. President Donald Trump “for the opportunity to reduce wasteful spending,” Musk expressed his belief that DOGE is here to stay: “The @DOGE mission will only strengthen over time as it becomes a way of life throughout the government.”
Musk’s departure follows what could be construed as a slow thawing of his relationship with the Trump administration. Sales of his EV company Tesla have also suffered, as his political activities and alignment with Trump have had a massively negative effect on the brand.
Since it was established DOGE has implemented a drastic wave of cuts to U.S. government spending that resulted in thousands of job cuts, complete departments being shut down, and reams of litigation. DOGE went after USAID spending; publicly supported broadcasters; national park budgets, the Department of Education, and more.
Musk could not be reached for comment. The White House did not immediately return a request for comment outside regular business hours.
