Speculation of Tesla CEO’s possible departure comes as his influence in the administration appears to wane
Elon Musk is reportedly set to leave his government role because he’s tired of the what he sees as a litany of vicious and unethical attacks from the left, according to a report from The Washington Post.
It remains unclear when Musk will depart as head of the Department of Government Efficiency; his special government employee status will expire at the end of next month. A person familiar with his thinking told The Post that Musk thinks that his work at DOGE won’t be diminished because of his departure, noting that staffers have already established themselves across a slew of federal agencies.
But speculation of Musk’s possible departure comes as his influence in the administration appears to wane. The New York Times reported last week that the acting commissioner of the IRS was being replaced after Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent complained that Musk had his preferred candidate installed without Bessent’s support. Musk has also annoyed other cabinet members by failing to coordinate with them in cost-cutting moves.
Meanwhile, Wedbush Securities analyst Dan Ives has said that Musk should leave his government role and once again focus his efforts on Tesla, arguing that the company is facing a “code red” moment.
Elon Musk looks on during a Cabinet Meeting. A new report details how he could soon leave his government role due to the constant criticism (AFP via Getty Images)
“Musk needs to leave the government, take a major step back on DOGE, and get back to being CEO of Tesla full-time,” Ives wrote to clients on Sunday, according to Bloomberg. “Tesla is Musk and Musk is Tesla....and anyone that thinks the brand damage Musk has inflicted is not a real thing, spend some time speaking to car buyers in the U.S., Europe, and Asia. You will think differently after those discussions.”
“Tesla has unfortunately become a political symbol globally of the Trump Administration/DOGE,” Ives added, going on to argue that the company faces “potentially 15 percent—20 percent permanent demand destruction for future Tesla buyers due to the brand damage Musk has created with DOGE.”
The Post also revealed that some officials refused to comply with Musk’s requirement that federal employees send weekly emails listing five things they did the previous week. He warned that not sending the email would count as a resignation.
However, just two days after Musk’s order was issued on February 22, the Office of Personnel Management stated in a briefing for human resources officers that participation was voluntary and not doing so would not be considered a resignation, as an email obtained by The Post shows.
The email also said that the office didn’t intend to do anything with the messages that were submitted.
Agencies are now employing different policies, with some agencies having stopped requiring the emails. A smaller number of departments still follow the mandate, while others require emails but don’t follow up to check for compliance, or track responses in a way that employees have noticed. Many of those who are still sending the emails are sending similar messages each week or are viewing them as a joke.
