We started hearing rumbles that Elon Musk’s time in Washington was coming to a close a couple of weeks ago, but the process now appears to be well underway. Late yesterday, an official told Reuters that Musk would be leaving the administration and that his “off-boarding will begin tonight.”
Musk posted about the move on X earlier in the day, but didn’t elaborate on the reasoning behind his move. He also reportedly did not discuss his departure with President Trump, with the source telling Reuters that his exit was decided by senior staff. Musk did take time out of his day to criticize Trump’s new tax bill, saying it would undermine the work he did with Doge.
Reports of tension between the Tesla CEO and high-level government employees have been plentiful, but at least part of Musk’s decision to leave likely related to the end of his time as a Special Government Employee, which is limited to 130 days within any calendar year.
Musk’s time in government hasn’t done his businesses any favors, and some Tesla investors have called on him to step back into managing the automaker full-time, leaving political ambitions behind. Tesla’s stock has rebounded somewhat in recent weeks, but significant challenges remain, especially in Europe and Asia, where Chinese EVs offer competitive features at much lower prices.
[Images: Joshua Sukoff via Shutterstock, Tesla]
Become a TTAC insider. Get the latest news, features, TTAC takes, and everything else that gets to the truth about cars first by subscribing to our newsletter.
