Elon Musk has issued a warning to US government employees, stating that they must disclose what they have been working on over the past week or face potential job termination. On Saturday, Musk announced that in alignment with directives from President Donald Trump, all federal employees would soon receive an email requesting details about their accomplishments from the previous week. Those who fail to respond would be viewed as having resigned.
A memo from the US government’s human resources department, which was summarized for the Financial Times by multiple sources, instructed government workers to submit approximately five bullet points outlining their achievements by midnight on Monday. Employees were also advised against including any classified information in their responses.
This directive mirrors tactics Musk employed during his acquisition of Twitter and followed a post from Donald Trump praising Musk’s efforts but urging him to become more assertive. Under Musk’s oversight, significant changes have occurred within key government departments, including the cancellation of numerous contracts and the suspension of tens of thousands of staff.
The Trump administration has faced criticism for dismissing veterans and cybersecurity personnel, prompting the rehiring of staff at the agency responsible for securing the nation’s nuclear weapons. Additionally, Musk’s initiative, referred to as Doge, offered federal employees the option to resign if they did not wish to return to full-time office work. Ultimately, 77,000 employees took advantage of this option out of an expected 200,000.
On a related note, President Trump recently dismissed General CQ Brown as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, along with five other high-ranking Pentagon officials. The Department of Defense has also announced plans to eliminate 5,400 probationary positions starting next week.
The email demand issued on Saturday by the government Office of Personnel Management did not reiterate Musk’s online threat of termination for noncompliance. However, Everett Kelley, president of the American Federation of Government Employees, expressed the organization’s intent to challenge any unlawful dismissals of federal workers. Kelley criticized Musk and the Trump administration, accusing them of showing disrespect toward federal employees and devaluing the essential services they provide.
Neither the Office of Personnel Management nor its spokesperson has responded to requests for comment.
