WASHINGTON: Billionaire Tesla chief executive officer Elon Musk is leaving the Trump administration after leading a tumultuous efficiency drive, during which he upended several federal agencies but ultimately failed to deliver the generational savings he had sought.
His "off-boarding will begin tonight," a White House official told Reuters late Wednesday, confirming Musk's departure from government. Musk earlier on Wednesday took to his social media platform X to thank President Donald Trump as his time as a special government employee with the Department of Government Efficiency draws to an end.
Tesla shares rose more than 2% on Thursday after after the news, fueling hopes that he will sharpen focus on the automaker as it gears up for its hotly anticipated robotaxi debut.
Musk's departure was quick and unceremonious. He did not have a formal conversation with Trump before announcing his exit, according to a source with knowledge of the matter, who added that his departure was decided "at a senior staff level."
While the precise circumstances of his exit were not immediately clear, he leaves a day after criticising Trump's marquee tax bill, calling it too expensive and a measure that would undermine his work with the US DOGE Service.
Some senior White House officials, including Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller, were irked by those comments, and the White House was forced to call Republican senators to reiterate Trump's support for the package, a source familiar with the matter said.
While Musk remains close to the President, his exit comes after a gradual, but steady slide in standing.
After Trump's inauguration, the billionaire quickly emerged as a powerful force in Trump's orbit: hyper-visible, unapologetically brash and unfettered by traditional norms. At the Conservative Political Action Conference in February, he brandished a red metallic chainsaw to wild cheers. "This is the chainsaw for bureaucracy," he declared. On the campaign trail, Musk had said DOGE would be able to cut at least $2 trillion in federal spending. DOGE currently estimates its efforts have saved $175 billion so far, a number that could not be verified independently. Musk did not hide his animus for the federal workforce, and he predicted that revoking "the Covid-era privilege" of telework would trigger "a wave of voluntary terminations that we welcome."
But some cabinet members who initially embraced Musk's outsider energy grew wary of his tactics, sources said.
His "off-boarding will begin tonight," a White House official told Reuters late Wednesday, confirming Musk's departure from government. Musk earlier on Wednesday took to his social media platform X to thank President Donald Trump as his time as a special government employee with the Department of Government Efficiency draws to an end.
Tesla shares rose more than 2% on Thursday after after the news, fueling hopes that he will sharpen focus on the automaker as it gears up for its hotly anticipated robotaxi debut.
Musk's departure was quick and unceremonious. He did not have a formal conversation with Trump before announcing his exit, according to a source with knowledge of the matter, who added that his departure was decided "at a senior staff level."
While the precise circumstances of his exit were not immediately clear, he leaves a day after criticising Trump's marquee tax bill, calling it too expensive and a measure that would undermine his work with the US DOGE Service.
Some senior White House officials, including Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller, were irked by those comments, and the White House was forced to call Republican senators to reiterate Trump's support for the package, a source familiar with the matter said.
While Musk remains close to the President, his exit comes after a gradual, but steady slide in standing.
After Trump's inauguration, the billionaire quickly emerged as a powerful force in Trump's orbit: hyper-visible, unapologetically brash and unfettered by traditional norms. At the Conservative Political Action Conference in February, he brandished a red metallic chainsaw to wild cheers. "This is the chainsaw for bureaucracy," he declared. On the campaign trail, Musk had said DOGE would be able to cut at least $2 trillion in federal spending. DOGE currently estimates its efforts have saved $175 billion so far, a number that could not be verified independently. Musk did not hide his animus for the federal workforce, and he predicted that revoking "the Covid-era privilege" of telework would trigger "a wave of voluntary terminations that we welcome."
But some cabinet members who initially embraced Musk's outsider energy grew wary of his tactics, sources said.
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