Elon Musk, Concludes DOGE activities and announces return to Tesla

Elon Musk Tesla CEO attended the White House Cabinet meeting on the 30th (local time) (Source: AP)

Elon Musk announced that he will effectively step down from the U.S. federal government's reform project 'DOGE' (Department of Government Efficiency) and focus on his main job, managing Tesla. Activities as the head of DOGE, which began with the inauguration of President Donald Trump's administration, are expected to conclude in about three months.

Musk attended the cabinet meeting held at the White House on April 30 and hinted that he would effectively step away from DOGE duties, saying that from May he will spend almost all his time on Tesla. In a face-to-face meeting with Trump, he said, "It was an honor to work with you" and bid farewell.

Earlier, Musk also stated during Tesla's first-quarter earnings announcement that most of the core work of the DOGE project had been completed. He was appointed as the head of DOGE with the inauguration of President Trump's second administration in January and led government reorganization and budget cuts. Musk claimed to have saved about $160 billion in the process, but this falls short of his initial goal of $2 trillion.

President Trump praised Musk's efforts, stating that "many people admire Musk, and everyone in this room believes he made a significant contribution to the government." In particular, he expressed gratitude, saying, "Musk provided great help even when he was treated unfairly," and the cabinet members applauded.

The evaluation of DOGE's budget-saving performance is mixed. Musk even corrected the $150 billion savings figure mentioned by Trump to $160 billion, saying, "Who is counting anyway?" However, The New York Times pointed out that when considering the side effects of workforce restructuring, hiring delays, and long-term leaves, about $135 billion in government cost losses actually occurred.

Trump told Musk, "You can stay longer if you want," but Musk announced, "Since the initial work is done, I will spend most of my time on Tesla," effectively predicting a distance from the White House. Although he left open the possibility of participating in DOGE activities when needed, his priority has shifted to managing Tesla.

The final report on the DOGE project was shared for the last time at this White House meeting, and it is expected that Musk's name will be rarely seen in official government work for the time being.