The Breakup of the Century

Earlier this year, Elon Musk and current President Donald J. Trump's bromance ran dry, leaving Musk with a bruised ego and broken stock price. Musk announced on X that his departure from the administration was due to his term limit as a Special Government Employee, writing, “As scheduled time as a Special Government Employee comes to an end, I would like to thank President @realDonaldTrump for the opportunity to reduce wasteful spending.” One can’t help but notice that Musk was hounded by other reasons as well, since his corporations had taken a huge toll due to his political beliefs. In this way, Musk shows the intersections between business and politics, having an influential tech billionaire in the president's cabinet, and his influence on policies. Musk serves as a reminder that the public must scrutinize who holds political power and how they wield it. Oftentimes, they wield their power to benefit themselves and not the people. 

Musk’s decision to join the Trump administration was not only unexpected but also concerning. Since Musk was known for his liberal and environmentally conscious views, this implies how easily ideology can shift when political power and influence are at hand. He was assigned as the head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), a new agency created to eliminate wasteful federal spending. Musk had the ambitious goal to reduce federal spending by $2 trillion over Trump’s term. However, as time passed, his ambition fell short as he changed his goal from $2 trillion to $1 trillion, and finally Musk settled for a measly $150 million. Throughout his term, Musk publicly expressed frustration that he continued to fall short of his goal. His failure isn’t just embarrassing; it underlines how unelected public figures with no prior experience will fail at their role. Musk was given great authority with little accountability, which only set him up for failure. Musk's shortfall serves as an example of why the public must scrutinize not only who is given authority but also how they wield it. 

Musk was given broad authority to audit federal agencies, recommend program cuts, and introduce new technology, such as implementing artificial intelligence. Musk started ambitiously: by emailing federal employees to justify the importance of their job within 48 hours or face unemployment. He prioritized budget cuts towards the Department of Education (ED) and proposed the implementation of AI in government agencies. The proposed budget puts the working class at risk since millions of Americans rely on federal aid from the ED to pay for college. At the same time, Musk used AI to eliminate routine tasks, such as reducing labor, automating paperwork, and modernizing outdated databases. This will result in hundreds of federal workers being laid off. According to government data by the OPM, 220,000 federal employees had less than a year of working before being fired. Even with Musk’s ambitious tactics, he still fell short of his goal. Even implementing AI didn’t save Musk much funding, as he failed to come close to his original goal. Instead, Musk only manages to hurt Americans by creating fewer jobs and less aid for higher education. 

Musk's resignation aligned with the growing tension between Musk and Trump — a disagreement about the One Big Beautiful Bill (OBBBA). The Trump administration marketed the OBBBA as an infrastructure and economic stimulus bill. However, Musk was a vocal critic of the bill. In a press conference, he stated, “I think a bill can be big or beautiful. But I don’t know if it can be both.” This is a criticism of Trump’s legislation and a direct challenge to the administration’s economic strategy. The OBBBA disagreement was the breaking point of Musk and Trump’s relationship. Onwards, Musk reported being increasingly marginalized within internal meetings and policy planning. Musk mentioned the OBBBA would be a huge spending measure, which would increase the federal deficit. As well as mentioning how this bill would underline his work with DOGE. At the same time, Musk’s aggressive push to implement AI and cut government spending led to major clashes within the administration. Musk grew frustrated with what he saw as ideological rigidity and resistance to transparency. Musk’s resignation wasn’t about his term being up; it was about how public figures leave when policies no longer align with their private interests. Musk was forced to resign since the OBBBA would undermine the little savings he had accomplished with DOGE. This serves as a reminder of the importance for the public to fully understand public figures' interest and their agenda.

As soon as Musk announced his support for Trump, he immediately began to lose support for his business. Tesla stock has taken a major hit, dropping approximately 40% to 55%, and Tesla owners are buying stickers saying “I bought this before we knew Elon was crazy,” implying how Musk's political role has greatly impacted his corporation. Musk was previously known for his liberal views, as Tesla is marketed as an environmentally friendly, energy-efficient car. However, with the start of his political role, many of his left-leaning supporters began to lose support for Musk. Musk, as the head of SpaceX, Tesla, and X, all while leading DOGE, faced significant political backlash and major financial losses. Musk's retreat once his companies started to lose revenue shows how public figures will leave once their capital takes a hit. This implies that the public must pay closer attention and scrutinize who we place in positions of influence. 

More importantly, Musk's resignation raises questions about trust in the government. His appointment was viewed as a symbol of wealth and political power, and his sudden exit due to his businesses dropping and political disagreement can be seen as elites leaving the government when it doesn’t benefit them. His resignation sparks concerns of having unelected private individuals with no formal political background in policymaking. Musk created a lot of ethical problems with DOGE. There was never a clear divide between his business interests and public responsibilities. Most of the policies he supported helped and benefited his corporations. Musk's resignation must be seen as a warning; it shows the dangers of allowing an unelected public figure with no prior political background to steer public policy. Musk’s exit illustrates the dangers of merging extreme wealth with political power. In the end, as Musk was trying to cut government waste, he created more waste that the people will be forced to clean up.