Washington: Billionaire Tesla CEO Elon Musk is leaving the Trump administration after a tumultuous period working to restructure the federal government, a White House official confirmed. A White House official told Reuters it was accurate that Musk is leaving the administration and his “off-boarding will begin tonight.”

Musk on Wednesday thanked US President Donald Trump as his time as a special government employee in the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) draws to an end, he said in a post on social media platform X.

Musk’s 130-day mandate as a special government employee in the Trump administration was set to expire around May 30. The administration has said DOGE’s efforts to restructure and shrink the federal government will continue.

“The DOGE mission will only strengthen over time as it becomes a way of life throughout the government,” Musk said. Trump and DOGE have managed to cut nearly 12%, or 260,000, of the 2.3 million-strong federal civilian workforce, largely through threats of firings, buyouts, and early retirement offers, a Reuters review of agency departures found.

Musk on Tuesday criticised the price tag of Republicans' tax and budget legislation making its way through Congress.
“I was disappointed to see the massive spending bill, frankly, which increases the budget deficit, not just decreases it, and undermines the work that the DOGE team is doing,” Musk told CBS News.

Musk did not have a formal conversation with Trump today before announcing his departure, a source with knowledge of the matter told Reuters.

Musk’s political activities have drawn protests, and some investors have called for him to leave his work as Trump’s adviser and focus more closely on managing Tesla. Musk, the world’s richest person, has defended his role as an unelected official granted unprecedented authority by Trump to dismantle parts of the US government.