Elon Musk’s new directive for US federal employees: ‘Submit work report or lose job’

Musk, who has been tasked with the responsibility of helping to reduce US government spending and waste, took to X to announce the new arrangement.

“Consistent with the President’s instructions, all federal employees will shortly receive an email requesting to understand what they got done last week. Failure to respond will be taken as a resignation,” Musk said in a post on X.

However, Musk’s X post did not elaborate on what was required in the work accounting, nor what the deadline would be.

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Recently, in the latest cuts announced Friday, the US Defense Department was directed to reduce its civilian workforce by at least five per cent starting next week.

Trump’s administration has already begun firing many other federal workers who are on probationary status.

Donald Trump puts Elon Musk in charge of DOGE

Earlier, the President put the tech entrepreneur in charge of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), tasking him with slashing public spending and tackling waste and alleged corruption.

DOGE is a free-ranging entity run by Musk, though the cost-cutting spree has been met with pushback on several fronts and a mixed bag of court rulings.

Also Read | ‘I’m become meme’: Elon Musk Says Doge’s journey from meme to reality is ‘crazy but cool’

Musk — the world’s richest person and Trump’s biggest donor — has led the effort to fire swaths of the federal workforce.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk’s new directive about the work accounting comes after US President Trump recently said on his Truth Social platform that Musk was “doing a great job,” but needed to get “more aggressive.”

“Elon is doing a great job, but I would like to see him get more aggressive,” Trump posted all in uppercase letters on his Truth Social platform. “Remember, we have a country to save, but ultimately, to make greater than ever before. MAGA!”

A judge on Thursday denied a union bid to temporarily halt the firing of thousands of people.