On Thursday, Elon Musk announced that leave the Trump administration after leading the Department of Government Efficiency, which aims to shrink the size of the United States government, resulting in the dismissal of thousands of federal jobs. He announced his departure in a post on his social media platform X and thanked his boss, Donald Trump, for the opportunity to help run the DOGE. On Wednesday night, the White House began the process of offboarding the world’s richest man as a special government employee.

During a Thursday press briefing, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt stated that the DOGE leaders, all Trump’s cabinet members, and the president himself are committed to reducing fraud, waste, and abuse in the government. He said that the whole team was working hand in hand with Musk, and they would even continue to work with the respective DOGE employees who had been onboarded as political appointments at all of these agencies.

DOGE, with over 100 government employees, is likely to continue its operations despite Musk’s departure. However, questions still arise about how much influence the group will retain after losing its high-profile leader. Musk had already shifted his attention back to his business empire after his electric car company, Tesla, faced a notable decline after he became a polarizing figure as part of Trump’s team. Last month, the tech tycoon informed investors that his focus on DOGE would significantly decline and that the company would allocate a much greater portion of its time to Tesla.

Who will succeed Musk at DOGE?

The question remains unanswered: Who will replace Musk? The Trump administration has yet to name a successor to Musk; several likely candidates have already been discussed. For the time being, Vivek Ramaswamy is considered a strong contender for this position. He once co-led DOGE alongside Musk before stepping down to run for Governor of Ohio.

No longer actively engaged, Ramaswamy has continued to express his support for the mission of DOGE. His initial role in forming the department may influence the management’s decision.

The day before announcing his departure, the Tesla founder broke with the president by condemning his massive tax and spending bill, which Trump has dubbed the “big, beautiful bill.”             The bill, which includes the president’s national plan on items ranging from border security to tax reduction, got the House’s approval along party lines last week. The bill proceeded to the Senate for a vote.

Previously, Musk called himself Trump’s first buddy, but his exit was abrupt and shocking. According to a source familiar with the matter, Musk didn’t have a formal dialogue with Trump before announcing he was departing the government. Since January, Musk has been heading up the department, which was tasked with reducing $2 trillion from the federal government’s budget through efforts to cut spending, the federal workforce, and government programs.

Other Notable Candidates to Lead DOGE

The following are also in line for potential candidates:

• Tom Krause – the Fiscal Assistant Secretary of the Treasury and CEO of Cloud Software Group.
• Luke Farritor – A software engineer with experience at SpaceX.
• Marko Elez – Has high-level access within the Treasury Department.
• Amy Gleason – Currently serving as the acting administrator.

DOGE’s Target Expenditure Cut

According to a May 26 update from DOGE’s website, the department’s efforts to cut waste have resulted in approximately $175 billion in savings through asset sales, fraud payment reductions, contract cancellations, and other cost-reduction initiatives. This translates to almost $ 1,086.96 in savings per taxpayer.

Initially, Musk vowed to cut at least $2 trillion from the federal government budget, but after a few months, he reduced it to $150 billion. Around 260,000 out of the 2.3 million-strong federal civilian workforce have had their jobs cut or accepted dismissal deals as a result of the DOGE. However, judges blocked the mass terminations in some cases and ordered the reinstatement of employees who had been fired.

In late April, the Tesla CEO announced that he would step back from running his company after becoming a lightning rod for criticism of Trump’s efforts to shake up Washington. His tenure in the Trump administration was marked by a significant decline in Tesla’s sales. Sales plunged by thirteen percent in the initial three months of 2025, marking the largest decline in deliveries in its history.