“Off-boarding will begin tonight”, that’s what the White House said on May 28, 2025, after Elon Musk, head of the newly formed cabinet called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), had quit his role as a special employee of the Donald Trump-led government.
This not–so–unexpected news comes after Trump introduced his ‘big and beautiful bill’, which would increase the budget deficit of the country, allowing the government to borrow more money to pay its existing bills. Musk, however, says that this bill ‘undermines the work that the DOGE team is doing’. While Trump had regarded Musk as a ‘visionary’ and Musk called the President a ‘friend’, their bromance could not stand the test of time.
The Creation of DOGE and Musk’s Role
It was in mid–2024, during Trump’s campaign trail, when the whispers of creating a ‘government efficiency commission’ first started to spread. Through direct conversations, both Trump and Musk had envisioned an idea of what this committee would look like.
Following his victory for a second term, Donald Trump on 20th January officially established the Department of Government Efficiency, or simply DOGE, which primarily premiered with an animated dog logo and later rebranded itself into a professional dollar sign bordered by a golden circle.
The aim of DOGE, as outlined in Executive Order 14158, is to “modernize" federal technology and software to maximize governmental efficiency and productivity” along with minimizing government spending.
But who would be appointed to lead this new and unprecedented commission? There was no doubt that it would be none other than Trump’s rally partner and his biggest donor, Elon Musk. Having donated close to $300 million to the election campaign, it was time for Trump to repay his ‘dear friend’, and he did it well by giving him the reins of the DOGE.
Initially, there were doubts about Musk’s position in the administration, but they were soon cleared when the White House clarified that he would serve the role of an unpaid ‘Special Government Employee’. Moreover, his service period was limited – his service was needed for only 130 days; that is, it would come to an end on 30th May 2025.
Musk was clear with his mission. The department had taken the arduous responsibility to “end the tyranny of the bureaucracy” and reduce the national debt as well as save the US government $2 trillion a year. However, instead of achieving these ambitious goals, the DOGE saw itself on the receiving end of criticism and backlash from politicians, critics, and people.
The Journey of DOGE
The Department of Government Efficiency had its fair share of achievements, controversies, and criticisms during Elon Musk’s tenure. The official website claims to have achieved substantial cost cuttings and saved billions by terminating several federal contracts. He also launched a public dashboard for civilians and promoted the use of AI to make the government work faster and more efficiently. His list of achievements doesn’t end here. Musk publicly announced savings up to $160 billion by April, along with laying off roughly 260,000 government employees.
But not every action was appreciated by the media and the people. Several analysts questioned the legitimacy of the reports and the figures presented by Musk. The mass layoffs and the rapid internal reconstruction of the department were also under fire, which led to widespread disruption. Unions and civil rights groups were quick to file legal complaints against DOGE, with the courts coming to the rescue of the laid-off employees.
The lawsuits even challenged DOGE’s legality, its inability to maintain transparency, and its unconstitutional actions, which even included access to sensitive and private government data. This conundrum highlighted the lack of people’s trust and the aggressive bureaucracy adopted by Musk and his department.
What led to Musk’s Departure?
Even though Elon Musk’s tenure had an expiration date, he chose to back out early. The credit for his early departure goes to President Trump’s ‘One Big, Beautiful Bill Act’. The bill aims to transform the American economy and fulfill the campaign promises.
While the bill may work in Trump’s favour, it will surely ruin DOGE’s work. A CBS news clip, which has Musk wearing his ‘Occupy Mars’ T-shirt, shows him explaining why he is disappointed by the “big, beautiful bill”. He was quoted as saying, “I was disappointed to see the massive spending bill, frankly, which increases the budget deficit, not just decreases it, and undermines the work DOGE team is doing.”
Musk did not shy away from speaking his mind and remarked, “I think a bill can be big or it could be beautiful. But I don’t know if it could be both, my personal opinion.” The reason for Musk’s discontent can be attributed to the fact that the federal debt limit will substantially increase, adding a trillion to the national debt over the next ten years. The current deficit, which is already estimated to be $1.83 trillion, will add over $600 billion to the mounting debt.
Moreover, Musk has also pledged to limit his political spending and rather shift his focus to the dwindling sales of Tesla, his car company. Tesla has reported a sharp decline in its sales, coinciding with Musk’s involvement in politics.
Globally, the company’s deliveries dipped by 13% in the first quarter of 2025, marking it the lowest performance by the company in the last three years, along with a 71% decline in its net profits. The reasons for the downfall of sales are competition from EV cars from China and Europe, but primarily, it is the customer base that has distanced itself from Elon Musk’s political agenda.
It is ironic how the situation has changed. The once ‘best buddies’ who travelled together in Air Force One and had adjoining offices in the White House have now cut ties without a formal conversation. It’s time to tell where this bromance will head.
But for now, Musk should focus on making Tesla ‘great again’.