MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Musk quits full-time DOGE position to focus on private business

“My scheduled time as a Special Government Employee comes to an end,” Musk reckoned

South African-born tycoon Elon Musk announced his departure from the US President Donald Trump's Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) Wednesday as his 130-day term as a special government employee concluded. While thanking the Republican leader for the opportunity to reduce wasteful spending, Musk expressed his disappointment with the administration's spending bill, stating it undermines DOGE’s mission to narrow the budget deficit.

Musk said he plans to focus on his companies—Tesla, SpaceX, and xAI—while maintaining a small White House office and spending limited time on government work. Legal risks are mounting for Musk due to alleged violations of federal laws during his DOGE tenure, and pension fund leaders have urged Tesla’s board to require Musk to commit at least 40 hours per week to the company.

“The @DOGE mission will only strengthen over time as it becomes a way of life throughout the government,” Musk wrote on social media. He is nevertheless expected to spend a “day or two per week” on government work until the end of Trump's term while keeping a small office at the White House.

“As my scheduled time as a Special Government Employee comes to an end, I want to thank President Donald Trump for the opportunity to reduce wasteful spending,” Musk also posted on his X account.

“Frankly, I was disappointed to see the huge spending bill, which increases the budget deficit, not only doesn't reduce it, and undermines the work that the DOGE team is doing,” Musk said in an interview to be fully aired in the coming days.

He also admitted he planned to step away from politics to be “super focused on X, xAI, and Tesla.”