After four months of disruption, Elon Musk signals he’s leaving government

By Irie Sentner | 05/29/2025 06:35 AM EDT

The DOGE leader said his “scheduled time” as a special employee is up.

Elon Musk speaks during a Feb. 11 event with President Donald Trump in the Oval Office.

Elon Musk speaks during a Feb. 11 event with President Donald Trump in the Oval Office. Alex Brandon/AP

Elon Musk is saying goodbye to DOGE.

The billionaire adviser to President Donald Trump, whose government-slashing initiative reshaped Washington over a whirlwind four months, on Wednesday confirmed his time as a “special government employee” was concluding soon.

“As my scheduled time as a Special Government Employee comes to an end, I would like to thank President [Trump] for the opportunity to reduce wasteful spending,” Musk said on X. “The @DOGE mission will only strengthen over time as it becomes a way of life throughout the government.”

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Musk and Trump have signaled for weeks that the so-called Department of Government Efficiency chief would soon take a step back from the White House. Musk committed last month to drop his DOGE duties significantly and focus on his companies amid tumbling Tesla sales and stock prices.