Like Elon Musk, Steve Davis was serving as a special government employee, a designation that allowed him to keep his job as CEO of one of the billionaire entrepreneur's companies.

Musk’s satellite internet business Starlink was touted by commerce secretary Howard Lutnick as a potential beneficiary of a $42bn rural broadband scheme. An executive order calling for the establishment of a multibillion-dollar Iron Dome defence system in the US looked set to benefit Musk, due to SpaceX’s dominance in rocket launches.

Elon Musk confirmed on Wednesday that he's ending his stint as a U.S. special government employee and as the de-facto head of DOGE.

The @DOGE mission will only strengthen over time as it becomes a way of life throughout the government,” Musk wrote on his social media platform X. That tweet was followed up by reporting in the Associated Press,

In a post on X, Elon Musk thanked President Trump and said that his "scheduled time" for government work is coming to an end.

But three months later, as the billionaire entrepreneur is set to step down from his role as the most visible face behind the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), he leaves behind a complicated legacy that includes thousands of layoffs,

Several Trump cabinet members praised Musk’s work with DOGE, which will reportedly continue despite the Tesla CEO’s absence.

Elon Musk is leaving his government role as a top adviser to President Donald Trump after spearheading efforts with the Department of Government Efficiency to reduce and overhaul the federal bureaucracy.