Elon Musk has announced that he is stepping back from government responsibilities to refocus on his companies — Tesla, X, xAI, and others — after months of deep involvement in former President Donald Trump’s federal reform efforts.
The billionaire, who became a key figure in the Trump administration’s push to downsize government, shared that he would be dedicating nearly all his time to the companies that made him the world’s richest man.
“Back to spending 24/7 at work and sleeping in conference/server/factory rooms. I must be super focused on /xAI and Tesla (plus Starship launch next week), as we have critical technologies rolling out,” Musk posted Saturday on X, his social media platform, which had just dealt with a widespread outage.
This echoes comments Musk made during a recent Tesla earnings call, where he hinted at scaling back his political engagement:
He said, “I think I’ll continue to spend a day or two per week on government matters for as long as the president would like me to do so, and for as long as it is useful, but starting next month, I’ll be allocating far more of my time to Tesla, now that the major work of establishing the Department of Government Efficiency is done.”
Musk’s government role triggered substantial changes across the federal workforce — unsettling many employees — and brought entire agencies such as the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and the U.S. Agency for International Development under scrutiny.
His outspoken political activity, including a multimillion-dollar effort by his super PAC to influence the Wisconsin Supreme Court race, has made him a controversial figure. Despite the failure of that campaign, many anticipate continued involvement in the 2026 midterms.
During a virtual appearance at the Qatar Economic Forum, Musk clarified that his political donations would be scaled back:
“Well, if I see a reason to do political spending in the future, I will do it. I do not currently see a reason,” he said.
Musk’s pivot away from the government coincided with a rebound in Tesla’s stock price, which had taken a hit during his high-profile role in the White House’s Department of Government Efficiency.
(Business Insider)
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