Elon Musk’s recent productivity email to U.S. federal employees has sparked controversy. Over the weekend, he requested employees send a list of five things they accomplished in the previous week, warning that failure to reply could lead to dismissal. This request, which had a tight deadline, confused many, as Musk isn’t a government employee and doesn’t have clear authority to fire people.
The situation escalated when several department heads, including those from the FBI and National Intelligence, advised employees to ignore the request. President Trump backed Musk’s move, saying those who don’t respond are essentially “semi-fired.”
Musk later extended the deadline and expressed frustration over the lack of responses, even accusing some managers of encouraging noncompliance. He warned that a second failure to reply would result in termination, citing incompetence and misuse of taxpayer funds.
