With great excitement this week, the story tore through the press: Billionaire Elon Musk is leaving the government! May 28 and 29, the headlines were dominated by reports that the chainsaw-wielding head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) was resigning from his position in government. Musk himself hustled to sell the story by giving shame-faced interviews, seeding the notion that he and Donald Trump had a contentious break-up, claiming he's "disappointed" by Trump and complaining about being the administration's "whipping boy."
If it all seems familiar, that's because we've been through this cycle before. In late March and early April, we were treated to a round of "Musk is leaving" headlines, which helped temporarily boost the sinking stock price of his car company, Tesla. His exit didn't take. In late April, Musk again dramatically announced his departure, promising Tesla shareholders that "my time allocation to DOGE will drop significantly." We were treated to another round of "Musk is leaving, we swear" stories in early May, complete with colorful details of the billionaire saying he'll miss sleeping over at the White House and eating ice cream with Trump. But somehow, he kept not going away. Musk was on camera in the Oval Office during Trump's racist ambush of South African President Cyril Ramaphosa last week.
