Elon Musk's feelings are hurt so he's stepping away from doge
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So let's make the next five years even bigger together. There's a link in the show notes just for you. Elon Musk appears ready to walk away from his position in the federal government, according to a report from the Washington Post. And the reason he's giving is personal. He's tired of what he sees as sustained, politically motivated attacks from the left. His plan to exit would bring an end to a controversial and short-lived chapter in government service where

where the billionaire entrepreneur tried to apply Silicon Valley-style disruption to the bureaucracy of Washington. Now, Musk currently leads Doge, a role he took on under special government employee status, and that designation is set to expire at the end of next month. And sources familiar with his plans say he doesn't intend to renew it. Musk reportedly believes that his departure won't slow down the work of Doge, since key staff members have already positioned themselves across a number of federal agencies and

and continue to push forward the policies he introduced. But this potential exit comes amid clear signs that his influence in government is diminishing. Recently, the New York Times reported that tensions flared with the administration after Treasury Secretary Scott Bassett objected to Musk's appointment of an acting IRS commissioner.

Fossett accused Musk of bypassing him to install his preferred candidate, who was later removed. And this clash has been widely interpreted as a signal that Musk is losing support inside the federal government.

Now, other government officials have voiced similar frustrations and concerns. Musk's cost-cutting efforts, often implemented without collaboration, have created confusion and, at times, resentment. One of his more controversial moves was a directive issued in February that required all federal employees under Doge's reach to submit a weekly email listing five completed tasks. Now, Musk said failure to comply would be treated negatively.

as a resignation. He does this with all of his companies. If he comes into the company, if he buys you, he usually sends out an email that asks you what you've done over the past week. And if you don't reply, this gets rid of you.

Now that order was quickly challenged. Just two days later, the Office of Personnel Management issued guidance making it clear that these emails were optional, not mandatory. They stated that employees couldn't be forced out for not participating and internal emails revealed that the office didn't plan to analyze or use the data being collected anyway. And since then, enforcement of the policy has become inconsistent. Some agencies dropped their requirement entirely,

Others kept it but made no effort to track or enforce participation. Employees in some departments reportedly began treating the exercise as a joke, copying the same list each week or submitting sarcastic responses to meet the letter of the rule without honoring its intent.

Outside Washington, pressure is growing for Musk to return his full attention to Tesla, where analysts say his leadership is urgently needed. Dan Ives, an analyst at Wedbush Securities, has described Tesla as being in a code red state, and he blamed Musk's government involvement as a key distraction. In a note to investors, he urged Musk to step back from Doge immediately and resume full-time leadership at Tesla.

Tesla is Musk and Musk is Tesla. And anyone that thinks the brand damage Musk has inflicted is not a real thing, spend some time speaking to car buyers in the US, Europe, and Asia. You will think differently about those discussions.

Ives also warned that Tesla's political associations could result in a 15-20% long-term drop in consumer demand. He described Tesla as having become a political symbol, closely tied to the Trump administration and the Doge program, which he argues is turning off potential buyers in key markets worldwide. For civil servants, Musk's short tenure has been jarring. While he did push for some modernization efforts and cost reforms,

The abrupt style in which policies were introduced and then rolled back left many employees confused and concerned. Several government workers described the workplace where expectations changed frequently and where directives from Musk clashed with federal norms and federal procedures. Even those who supported Elon Musk's goal acknowledged that his tactics often did more harm than good. The demand for weekly task emails, for instance,

may have been intended to boost accountability, but instead created distrust and resentment among staff. Many employees felt the rule wasn't about transparency, but about control. And when it was overturned, it further weakened confidence in his leadership. Now, the decision for Elon to move on

It also matters for government oversight and public trust, when influential figures like Musk take on powerful roles without clear lines of accountability or a clear plan. It raises concerns about transparency and proper governance. Its potential departure shows that it's difficult. Importing private sector CEOs and billionaire bad boys like Elon to the public sector

The strategies, they cause disruption. They cause harm. And right now, neither Musk nor the White House have made an official statement regarding his future with Doge, though. I think Elon is running scared. He sees Tesla going down and he realizes that it's because of him and what he's done.

He's blaming it on the left. People are attacking him, not because of who he is, but because the actions that he's taken with Doge and other things. So he has to take accountability and stop blaming other people. And that's what I think is happening with Tesla. I think that's how people feel about Tesla. So right now they think he's a bad guy. So they're not going to buy his cars. There's no way. There's no way they're going to buy a Tesla because Elon Musk is a bad guy.

Very simple. If you have $30,000, $40,000, $50,000 to spend on a car and you don't like the person that runs the car company, you're not going to buy that car. Let's go someplace else. There's cars that are similar. They don't have all the bells and whistles of Tesla. They're good. Buy a Rivian. Rivians are great. You can buy a Subaru. Not as good, but it's a cool car. You can buy a Hyundai if you want to.

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It's up to you. It's up to your political beliefs and if you like the company's owners and CEOs. So what's clear right now is that Musk's time in government has been as unconventional as his corporate career. His likely exit will end a chapter defined by his bold moves in the government.

And it had unpredictable consequences. And he's expected to leave his federal post at Doge next month and not re-sign with the government. His departure follows internal conflicts, his failed policies, and outside pressure from investors and friends and family to return to Tesla, SpaceX, Neuralink, all of his companies full time. Get out of the government. That's what they want.

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