Elon Musk has once again hit out at federal workers, as he explained a new twist in the ultimatum email they recieved.
As previously reported, Musk, who now leads the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) under President Trump, defended his controversial ultimatum email requiring all federal employees to list five accomplishments from the past week – or be fired.
And if that wasn’t bold enough, Musk has now revealed exactly why he made the move.
Musk’s crackdown on federal employees came after President Trump gave him a mixed review on Truth Social. While Trump praised the Tesla and SpaceX boss, he also made it clear that he wanted Musk to take things up a notch.
“ELON IS DOING A GREAT JOB, BUT I WOULD LIKE TO SEE HIM GET MORE AGGRESSIVE. REMEMBER, WE HAVE A COUNTRY TO SAVE, BUT ULTIMATELY, TO MAKE GREATER THAN EVER BEFORE. MAGA,” Trump posted on February 22.
Musk wasted no time responding. Hours later, he took to X (formerly Twitter) to announce his next move.
“Consistent with President @realDonaldTrump’s instructions, all federal employees will shortly receive an email requesting to understand what they got done last week,” Musk wrote.
Then, in true Musk fashion, he laid down the hammer:
“Failure to respond will be taken as a resignation.”
Naturally, he was met with backlash – but Musk has since doubled down and offered a further update.
He wrote on X: “The email request was utterly trivial, as the standard for passing the test was to type some words and press send!
“Yet so many failed even that inane test, urged on in some cases by their managers. Have you ever witnessed such INCOMPETENCE and CONTEMPT for how YOUR TAXES are being spent?
“Makes old Twitter look good. Didn’t think that was possible.”
The email request was utterly trivial, as the standard for passing the test was to type some words and press send!
Yet so many failed even that inane test, urged on in some cases by their managers.
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From age 65, how often should you shower (and why over-washing can be harmful to your health) Have you ever witnessed such INCOMPETENCE and CONTEMPT for how YOUR TAXES are… https://t.co/QjSmY4ezpg
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) February 24, 2025
Just a few moments later, he responded to a post saying that all workers who fail to respond to the email should be fired.
“Subject to the discretion of the President, they will be given another chance,” Musk wrote.
“Failure to respond a second time will result in termination.”
Since taking charge of DOGE, Musk has wasted no time slashing the federal workforce. More than 20,000 federal employees have already been fired, and billions in government grants and foreign aid have been frozen.
But not everyone is playing along. Several government agencies – including the Departments of Defense, Homeland Security, Commerce, Education, and Energy – have reportedly instructed employees to ignore Musk’s directive entirely.
And it’s not just department heads pushing back. Trump’s newly appointed Director of National Intelligence, Tulsi Gabbard, made it clear that intelligence officers would not be complying.
“Given the inherently sensitive and classified nature of our work, [intelligence community] employees should not respond to the OPM email,” Gabbard said, according to The New York Times.
Her stance aligns with newly appointed FBI Director Kash Patel, who has also ordered his employees to disregard Musk’s demand.
In a memo obtained by NBC News, Patel wrote: “FBI personnel may have received an email from OPM requesting information. The FBI, through the Office of the Director, is in charge of all of our review processes and will conduct reviews in accordance with FBI procedures.
When and if further information is required, we will coordinate the responses. For now, please pause any responses.”
