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Elon Musk is stepping away from Washington. In a post to X (formerly Twitter) Wednesday night, the Tesla and SpaceX CEO confirmed what many had expected: his time as a Special Government Employee in the Trump istration is officially over.
"Thank you, @realDonaldTrump, for the opportunity to reduce wasteful spending,"Musk wrote, referring to his work leading the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), a task force launched by President Trump earlier this year. "The @DOGE mission will only strengthen over time."
The announcement follows months of headline-making moves under Musk's leadership at DOGE, including aggressive budget cuts, lawsuits over access to taxpayer data, and the elimination of entire federal agencies. While his defenders praised the disruption, backlash has been loud-and sometimes violent. Several Tesla facilities were targeted by protesters, leading Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi to call the attacks "domestic terrorism."
But Musk's departure seems to have less to do with public reaction and more to do with something coming from inside the White House: the president's signature "Big, Beautiful Bill."
Is Musk walking away... or being pushed by policy?
In the days leading up to his exit, Musk criticized the bill in a CBS Sunday Morning interview, saying it undermines the core work DOGE had done. He didn't hold back. "I think a bill can be big or it can be beautiful. But I don't know if it can be both," he said, expressing concern that the legislation could inflate the deficit and undo DOGE's efforts.
Meanwhile, GOP leaders have doubled down. Speaker Mike Johnson praised Musk and DOGE's "historic" discoveries of government waste-like finding over 12 million people still receiving Social Security benefits despite being listed as over 120 years old. But Johnson also emphasized the bill's $1.6 trillion in mandatory spending cuts as a necessary move to Trump's 2026 budget goals.
For some lawmakers, like Rep. Pat Harrigan, Musk's influence has already left a mark. "DOGE set a new standard," he wrote on X. "I'll do my part to make sure it leads to real, lasting change."
As Musk shifts back to the private sector, he's got his own fires to put out-literally and figuratively. Tesla missed its Q1 projections by over 70%, according to Bloomberg. His exit from D.C. may mark the end of one chapter, but it could also signal the beginning of a new political fault line-between Silicon Valley disruption and old-school budget politics.