Elon Musk has announced the end of his role as a special government employee in President Donald Trump's administration, marking the conclusion of his involvement with the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).

Musk, who was appointed to lead efforts aimed at reducing federal bureaucracy and spending, expressed gratitude to President Trump for the opportunity to serve.

In a post on his social media platform X, Musk wrote: "Grateful to President Trump for the chance to serve. It’s been a challenging but enlightening experience."

Shortly after his tweet, a White House official confirmed his departure and said his offboarding “will begin tonight.”

Brief clash

Musk's departure follows his public criticism of President Trump's "big beautiful bill," a legislative package that includes tax cuts and immigration enforcement but significantly increases the federal deficit. Musk described the bill as counterproductive to DOGE's mission and expressed disappointment.

During his tenure, Musk led aggressive cost-cutting measures through DOGE, which included mass layoffs and the termination of federal contracts. These actions have sparked major backlash, protests — particularly aimed at Tesla — dozens of lawsuits, and concerns over attempts to access private government data .

A federal judge recently allowed a lawsuit filed by 14 US states against Musk and DOGE to proceed. The lawsuit accuses Musk and DOGE of unconstitutional actions, including unauthorised access to government data systems, cancellation of federal contracts, and the dismissal of federal employees .

Musk plans to refocus on his companies, Tesla and SpaceX, and scale back political contributions. Despite initial optimism, Musk admitted frustration with bureaucratic resistance in Washington.

The White House plans to implement some DOGE-recommended cuts via rescissions. The Congressional Budget Office estimates the bill will increase deficits by $3.8 trillion over a decade, while watchdogs remain skeptical of claims it will be deficit-neutral .