Elon Musk says he's stepping back from DOGE

Published: Tuesday, April 22, 2025 at 9:59 pm

Elon Musk to Step Back from DOGE Role, Focusing on Tesla

Elon Musk, the CEO of Tesla, is scaling back his involvement with the White House's Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), a role he's held for the past three months. This announcement comes after a period of intense efforts to reshape the federal government and its workforce. Musk revealed his decision during Tuesday's Tesla earnings call, citing a need to dedicate more time to Tesla, especially now that the "major work" of establishing DOGE is complete.

Musk stated he will still dedicate a day or two a week to government matters, contingent on the president's wishes and the usefulness of his involvement. This shift in focus coincides with Tesla's recent disappointing quarterly earnings report.

During Musk's tenure with DOGE, the initiative targeted numerous federal agencies, including the US Agency for International Development, the Internal Revenue Service, the Treasury Department, and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. DOGE also oversaw efforts to reduce the federal workforce through buyouts, firings, and agency downsizing, including the National Institutes of Health.

Despite these large-scale efforts, DOGE has fallen short of its initial savings goals. Musk initially promised $2 trillion in taxpayer savings, later revising the figure to $1 trillion, and then to $150 billion. The initiative's claimed savings have been plagued by errors and corrections, including significant reductions in claimed savings related to real estate and other areas.

Musk's role with DOGE was always intended to be temporary, as his status as a "special government employee" limits his service to 130 days within a 365-day period. The DOGE office, established under a Trump executive order, is slated to continue until July 4, 2026. The future of the initiative is now uncertain, given that many of DOGE's key leaders are closely aligned with Musk.

Keywords: Elon Musk, DOGE, Department of Government Efficiency, Tesla, federal government, government savings, Trump administration, federal workforce, US Agency for International Development, Internal Revenue Service, Treasury Department, Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, agency downsizing, government efficiency, Tesla earnings, White House.

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