April 23, 2025 | Washington, D.C. / Austin, Texas — Billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk has announced he will significantly reduce his involvement with the controversial Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE)—a Trump-era initiative—in order to refocus on Tesla, following a staggering 71% plunge in quarterly profits for the electric vehicle giant.
Speaking during a Tesla earnings call, Musk admitted, “Probably in the next month, my time allocation to DOGE will drop significantly.” This statement comes as Tesla’s revenue slumped by 9%, dropping to $19.3 billion for Q1 2025, with profits falling to $409 million—the sharpest decline in company history.
Musk, who assumed a leadership role at DOGE as part of former President Donald Trump’s governmental restructuring efforts, has faced backlash over his political affiliations and aggressive cost-cutting strategies at the federal level. Protests have erupted outside Tesla showrooms in the US and parts of Europe, with critics linking Tesla’s declining brand image to Musk’s polarizing public profile.
Despite the criticism, Musk defended his commitment to DOGE’s mission, claiming the department has been instrumental in fighting “waste and fraud” within the federal bureaucracy. He warned that America’s decline could drag Tesla down with it:
“If the ship of America goes down, Tesla will go with it.”
Nonetheless, Musk reassured stakeholders about Tesla’s future, citing promising advancements in autonomous driving and humanoid robots, which he claims will usher in a “period of sustainable abundance for all.”
This development marks a potential turning point in Musk’s political engagement, as pressure mounts from investors and analysts to prioritize the long-term stability of Tesla—one of the world’s most influential clean tech companies.