Tesla CEO Elon Musk on Thursday stepped down as a 'Special Government Employee' amid widespread protests.
Musk thanked United States President Donald Trump for giving him an opportunity to reduce the wasteful spending by the government.
In a post on X, he said, "As my scheduled time as a Special Government Employee comes to an end, I would like to thank President Donald Trump for the opportunity to reduce wasteful spending. The DOGE mission will only strengthen over time as it becomes a way of life throughout the government."
Earlier on Wednesday, Musk said he is back to "spending 24/7 at work" and sleeping in conference rooms -- as he hopped back into corporate life after his time in Washington.
His departure comes a day after Musk's first ever criticism of Trump, where he said the President's signature "big, beautiful" spending bill increases budget deficit and undermines the DOGE team's work.
"I was disappointed to see the massive spending bill, frankly, which increases the budget deficit, not just decreases it, and undermines the work that the DOGE team is doing," Musk said.
"A bill can be big, or it can be beautiful. But I don't know if it can be both. My personal opinion," he added.
DOGE is poised to continue its work even as Musk steps back, with staffers to remain in place, embedded across federal agencies.
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