Elon Musk is just a week into his new position in President Donald Trump’s administration, yet the US federal government is already implementing a strategy reminiscent of Musk’s approach with Twitter to oversee its workforce and budget. Similar to Musk’s actions upon taking control of the social media platform, Trump’s team is seeking to significantly downsize the government workforce and ensure that those who remain align with the president’s objectives.
On Tuesday, a message was sent to federal employees that echoed the “Fork in the Road” communication issued to Twitter (now X) staff shortly after Musk acquired the platform in 2022. This email requests that federal employees resign by February 6 if they prefer not to return to the office five days a week and commit to a culture of excellence. Those opting to resign will still receive their pay and benefits until September, as stated in the memo.
“The federal workforce should consist of employees who are dependable, loyal, trustworthy, and who strive for excellence in their daily roles,” the email specified, which was later made available on the US Office of Personnel Management website. “Employees will face heightened standards of suitability and conduct as we move forward.”
This development arises as Musk’s associates take control of the US Office of Personnel Management, the federal government’s human resources division. Elon Musk has not yet responded to requests for comment from WIRED, nor has the Office of Personnel Management.
Musk and his team, including Trump’s newly appointed AI and cryptocurrency czar David Sacks, employed a notably similar approach at Twitter. Roughly a week after the acquisition concluded, Musk terminated half of the workforce. Sacks played a crucial role in advising which teams and individuals would be laid off.
Approximately two weeks later, the remaining staff received an email titled “A Fork in the Road.” Musk emphasized that they needed to be “extremely hardcore” to achieve his vision for Twitter 2.0. This involved “working long hours at high intensity.” He stated that “only exceptional performance” would be deemed “acceptable.” Employees were then prompted to indicate their interest in this vision via a web form. Those who did not respond by the following day would be offered three months of severance, according to Musk. Later, thousands of former Twitter employees filed a lawsuit, contending that their severance payments were not fully honored. Musk successfully secured a dismissal of the case.
“We’re all in disbelief at how eerily similar this feels,” commented Yao Yue, a former principal engineer at Twitter. “However, the federal government and its employees are subject to specific regulations regarding spending, hiring, and termination.”
In this instance, federal employees are instructed to send an email with “Resign” in the subject line within the next ten days. “Eliminating dedicated career civil servants from the federal government will yield considerable, unintended repercussions that will lead to disorder for the Americans reliant on an operational federal system,” stated Everett Kelley, president of the American Federation of Government Employees, the largest union representing federal workers. “This offer should not be construed as optional. Given the array of anti-worker executive orders and initiatives, it’s evident that the Trump administration’s intention is to establish a hostile environment within the federal government that will make it untenable for workers to remain, even if they desire to.”
