Elon Musk has officially ended his tenure as a special government employee under President Donald Trump, stepping down from his post at the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). 

In a statement on his social media platform X, Musk thanked Trump for the opportunity to lead a sweeping effort to reduce government spending and cut federal jobs.

"My scheduled time as a Special Government Employee comes to an end," Musk wrote. "I would like to thank President @realDonaldTrump 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 White House began offboarding Musk on Wednesday night, and although his departure was expected due to legal time limits on his appointment, it closely follows his public criticism of Trump's latest budget bill. 

Musk said the bill, which includes multi-trillion dollar tax cuts and increases in defense spending, undermines DOGE’s core mission.

"I think a bill can be big or it can be beautiful," Musk told CBS. "But I don’t know if it can be both."

Initially pledging to slash $2 trillion from the federal budget, Musk later scaled that goal down to $150 billion. 

DOGE has led to the estimated reduction of 260,000 jobs in the 2.3 million-strong federal civilian workforce. However, some firings were later reversed by federal judges, citing wrongful terminations.

Musk’s exit comes amid turbulence at Tesla. The electric car maker reported a 13% drop in deliveries this year—the worst in its history—alongside a steep but partially recovered stock decline. 

Musk recently pledged to refocus on Tesla and announced plans to reduce political donations after backing Trump and other Republicans with nearly $300 million last year.

Despite stepping down, Musk insists DOGE will persist: "The mission is bigger than any one person."

Source: BBC

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