Elon Musk demands federal employees report work progress: 'Failure to respond will be taken as a resignation'

Elon Musk has issued an ultimatum to federal employees, directing them to report on their recent work progress or face termination.

"Consistent with President Donald Trump’s instructions, all federal employees will shortly receive an email requesting to understand what they got done last week,” Musk wrote in a post on X. “Failure to respond will be taken as a resignation.”

According to Politico, the email with the subject line, “What did you do last week?” instructs employees to submit “approx. five bullets of what you accomplished last week and CC your manager.” It also advises them not to include classified information. Employees must respond by the end of Monday, though the email does not specify any consequences for failing to do so. The message was reportedly sent broadly across the federal government, reaching employees in multiple agencies.

Musk’s directive comes amid ongoing resistance by Democrats to the Department of Government Efficiency’s (DOGE) efforts to reduce government size, cut waste, and improve efficiency. His post followed a message from President Trump on Truth Social earlier in the day, in which Trump praised Musk’s work but encouraged him to take even stronger action.

"Elon is doing a great job, but I would like to see him get more aggressive,” Trump wrote. “Remember, we have a country to save, but ultimately to make greater than ever before.”

Musk’s demand mirrors comments he made when he acquired Twitter. In April 2022, shortly before finalizing the deal, he texted then-CEO Parag Agrawal, asking, “What did you get done this week?” After issuing the new federal ultimatum, Musk referenced that exchange on X.

"Parag got nothing done,” Musk wrote. “Parag was fired.”