On Wednesday, Elon Musk confirmed that he is severing ties with both the Office of Efficient Government and Donald Trump's Cabinet, ending a chaotic federal adventure that lasted just over three months.

The quirky but highly respected billionaire, who has balanced his role at Tesla with federal work since January, directly told Trump and his administration at the White House that his focus will almost entirely shift back to Tesla starting in May.

The announcement was made during a Cabinet meeting on April 30.

"It’s an honor to work with your great Cabinet," Elon said directly to Trump in the meeting. "I just want to say thank you everyone, it’s been a privilege to work with you, so thank you for everything."

Elon later praised the first 100 days of the administration as record-breaking, saying:

"A massive amount of work has been completed in the first 100 days. As people have said, that is more than has been done in any previous administration. Never before. So this signals very well for what’s to come, for the rest of the administration."

The decision is not a complete surprise. In Tesla's earnings call last week, Elon warned investors that the time he spends on the DOGE task would decrease significantly in May. He said he intends to only spend 'one or two days a week' on federal work in the future, now that the setup phase has ended.

Elon withdrew after savings were not as expected and costs rose.

Elon told Trump and the rest of the Cabinet that the DOGE initiative has helped the federal government save $160 billion to date. That is a far cry from the $2 million he proposed when he joined the administration. Trump, in the same day’s meeting, said the savings stood at $150 billion before Elon jumped in to correct, saying: “$160 billion, but who’s counting?”

Last year, Elon publicly stated that DOGE would cut at least $2 million from government spending. But by January, he began to backtrack. In an interview, he said:

"I think we will aim for $2 million. I think that is the best possible outcome. But I also think you need to have a little leeway. I think if we aim for $2 million, we have a good chance of hitting $1 million."

The actual numbers tell a different story. On Tuesday, the New York Post reported that Elon had left the West Wing. However, his team is still operating at the nearby Eisenhower Executive Office Building.

At the same time, the New York Times revealed that the Public Service Partner estimated that DOGE-related incidents—including layoffs, slow rehiring, paid leave, and reduced productivity—would cost the government $135 billion just this year.

Trump still thanked Elon directly in the Cabinet meeting, saying: "We all want to thank you for your help. You really have sacrificed a lot. You have been treated very unfairly." Elon was unhesitant in his response, joking that, "Well, they like to burn my cars, that’s not great," referring to the recent vandalism of Tesla vehicles and locations since DOGE was announced.

Trump responded, "Most people in this country really respect and appreciate you, and this room can say that very strongly, you have truly been a tremendous help." He then told Elon, "You are welcome to stay as long as you wish." Cabinet members and other officials applauded after this remark.

Tesla is the top priority now that DOGE is ending.

Elon clarified in Tesla's earnings call that while he is not completely abandoning DOGE, it is no longer the top priority. "I will continue as long as the president wants me to do so, and as long as it is helpful," he said. But that comes with a condition.

"Starting next month, I will allocate more time to Tesla now that the major work of establishing the Office of Efficient Government has been completed."

A printed DOGE report was placed in front of Trump during the Cabinet session. It was the last visible symbol of Elon’s involvement in the government’s cleanup efforts.

That ends his strange detour into the federal machinery. And now, after months of pushing spreadsheets and cutting teams, Elon is returning to cars, earnings calls, and possibly a few more burning Teslas.

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