Washington DC [US], May 29 (HBTV): Tesla CEO Elon Musk on Thursday stepped down from his role as a ‘Special Government Employee’ in the Trump administration amid growing protests.
Musk expressed gratitude to US President Donald Trump for the opportunity to assist in curbing wasteful government spending. In a post on X, he stated: ‘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.’
Earlier on Wednesday, Musk indicated that he had returned to ‘spending 24/7 at work’ and sleeping in conference rooms, re-immersing himself in corporate responsibilities after his tenure in Washington, according to CNN.
Musk’s affinity for an ‘extremely hardcore’ work culture is proving useful as he now attempts to manage several struggling ventures simultaneously.
Tesla is witnessing a decline in sales, and the Cybertruck has failed to generate expected consumer interest. His social media platform X is facing operational challenges following a major outage over the weekend—just days after xAI’s Grok was criticised for promoting conspiracy theories about ‘White genocide’.
In addition, a multibillion-dollar SpaceX launch on Tuesday ended in failure, with the Starship rocket spinning out of control and disintegrating over the Indian Ocean, as reported by CNN.
Despite these setbacks, investors are reportedly encouraged by Musk’s return to his corporate duties. Tesla shares—his only publicly traded venture—have climbed 25% over the past month, though they remain significantly below their December peak. This investor optimism hinges on Musk’s ability to resolve Tesla’s ongoing issues while fulfilling his pledge to launch an autonomous robotaxi service in Austin, Texas, in the coming weeks.
Musk also voiced concerns over President Trump’s proposed tax and spending cuts, cautioning that they might exacerbate the US budget deficit and weaken the efforts of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
‘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,’ Musk said in a video message released on Tuesday.
‘I think a bill can be big or it can be beautiful, but I don't know if it can be both,’ he added.
While Musk steps back, DOGE is expected to continue its work, with staffers embedded in federal agencies for the foreseeable future.
(ANI)