In a major political and business development, tech billionaire Elon Musk announced on Wednesday that he is stepping down as the chief of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), a role he held within former U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration.
Musk, who had been a central figure in Trump’s second-term government, confirmed his exit in a social media post, thanking the President for the “opportunity to reduce wasteful spending” and declaring that “my time comes to an end.”
Musk, the largest financial backer of Trump’s 2024 re-election campaign, had been a constant presence in Trump’s inner circle after the Republican leader returned to the White House.
His appointment to lead DOGE—a department created to aggressively cut bureaucratic waste—was met with mixed reactions. Trump had hailed Musk’s vision and called him a “star” in his victory speech.
In his farewell message, Musk asserted that the DOGE mission will evolve into a “way of life” in Washington. However, his departure comes just a day after his first public criticism of Trump.
Speaking about the administration’s “big, beautiful” spending bill, Musk quipped, “A bill can be big, or it can be beautiful. But I don’t know if it can be both.” The remark hinted at a growing ideological divide between Musk’s fiscal conservatism and the President’s expansive spending initiatives.
During his tenure, Musk’s team at DOGE aggressively pursued downsizing efforts. He famously sought “super high-IQ small-government revolutionaries” to work 80+ hour weeks on unglamorous cost-cutting measures.
Tens of thousands of federal workers were let go, and several departments were either shut down or drastically restructured. Despite this, Musk often clashed with other senior Trump officials over priorities and execution.
By late April, Musk began distancing himself from the administration. In interviews, he described DOGE as a “whipping boy” for the public’s growing dissatisfaction with the government and admitted he had not met many of his reform goals.
Adding to the turmoil, a U.S. District Judge recently ruled that Musk must face a lawsuit accusing him of illegally wielding power as DOGE chief.
The case is one among several legal challenges involving DOGE, including allegations of unauthorized access to sensitive government databases containing Americans’ financial and personal information.
Meanwhile, Musk’s attention appears to be returning to his business empire—at a time of crisis. Tesla has faced a wave of arson attacks on its dealerships, leading to a sharp dip in share prices.
SpaceX, too, suffered a blow this week when its Starship rocket exploded over the Indian Ocean during its ninth test flight.
Simultaneously, Musk’s social media platform X experienced a two-hour outage, prompting him to post, “As evidenced by the X uptime issues this week, major operational improvements need to be made.”
With his exit from Washington, Elon Musk now finds himself navigating a storm of legal battles, political criticism, and business setbacks—all while attempting to recalibrate his public image and corporate vision in a post-DOGE era.
