Elon Musk confirms White House exit

Elon Musk is bidding farewell to his role at the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).

Musk, the billionaire advisor to US President Donald Trump, confirmed on Wednesday that his term as a “special government employee” would soon end.

Musk said, “As my term as a Special Government Employee ends, I want to thank President [Trump] for the opportunity to reduce waste. The DOGE mission will grow stronger as it becomes a way of life across the government over time.”

Musk and Trump had been signaling for weeks that the DOGE head would soon leave the White House. Musk pledged last month that he would significantly reduce his DOGE duties and focus on his companies following a decline in Tesla’s sales and stock price.

Special government employees can work a maximum of 130 days per year. This period, assuming Musk worked every day since he started, ends on Friday. Musk did not specify an exact end date, and a DOGE spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment.

Musk’s departure came a day after the billionaire harshly criticized the Republicans’ “big, beautiful bill” for undermining DOGE’s spending cuts.

The DOGE team’s unconventional tactics had created chaos in Washington and reached almost every corner of the federal government.

Although Trump remained a staunch defender of Musk, the Tesla CEO had clashed with several senior administration officials in recent months.

Furthermore, criticisms of a “conflict of interest” were voiced due to Musk appointing his own company employees to DOGE.