Elon Musk Says His Time With DOGE Is Going to ‘Drop Significantly’ After Brutal Tesla Earnings

Elon Musk’s time spent leading the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) will “drop significantly” starting in May, the Tesla boss announced during the company’s first quarter earnings call on Tuesday afternoon.

Musk said that he will still work one or two days per week on DOGE and government-related issues beginning next month, but that his primary focus will be on Tesla and the other companies he runs. He added that he will continue working alongside President Donald Trump to cut the federal bureaucracy for as long as the president wants his help.

“I’ll have to continue doing [DOGE] probably for the remainder of the president’s term, just to make sure the waste and fraud that we stopped does not come roaring back,” Musk said.

Tesla’s stock price jumped 4% in after-hours trading, soon after Musk made his comment on focusing more on his electric car company.

Musk has been spearheading DOGE for Trump as the new department has went on a cost-cutting spree within the federal government. He has repeatedly said he is aiming to cut $1 trillion from the annual budget — which is about 15% of what the government spent in 2024. Musk said earlier this month DOGE has cut $150 billion from the fiscal year 2026 budget.

The Tesla and SpaceX boss has been criticized by several Democratic politicians, including Elizabeth Warren, Hillary Clinton and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez — who called Musk “not smart” — for his push to cut the bureaucracy. Tesla cars and stores have also been attacked nationwide by Musk’s critics, including one Las Vegas store that was shot and torched with Molotov cocktails. A similar incident occurred in Colorado, where a woman was charged with setting Tesla cars on fire and writing “Nazi cars” on a store building in February; another man was arrested by federal agents for setting fire to a Tesla charging station in South Carolina.

A number of clips have gone viral in the past few months, showing vandals defacing and keying Tesla cars in parking lots. Attorney General Pam Bondi said in March that those who attack Tesla vehicles will be treated as domestic terrorists. Bondi said attackers will face a minimum of five years in prison.

The recent wave of destruction comes after Musk backed Trump for president, both financially and vocally on X, the social media platform he owns, during the 2024 election. That relationship has grown since Trump returned to office, with Musk leading DOGE and attending a number of events alongside the president. Tesla’s stock price has taken a beating this year as a result of the turmoil, with its share price down 37.26% since the start of 2025.

Vice President JD Vance, during an interview with Lawrence B. Jones on “Fox & Friends” earlier this month, signaled Musk’s official time within the Trump Administration was nearing its end. Vance said Musk agreed to formally help the White House for roughly six months; Musk signed a 130-day contract to work as a “special government employee,” following Trump’s inauguration in January. But even after he departs his official role, Musk “is going to remain a friend and an advisor,” Vance said.

“Of course he’s going to continue to be an advisor,” Vance said. “And by the way, the work of DOGE is not even close to done — the work of Elon is not even close to done.”

Vance added that “DOGE has got a lot of work to do” and that it would “continue after Elon leaves.”

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