We always knew that Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency was only going to be a temporary thing, but while we thought the world's richest man would see through his hopes of slashing $2 trillion from the federal spend, it seems he's bowing out early.
Elon Musk has confirmed that he'll be stepping down as the head of the DOGE after 130 days, leaving the organisation that 'operates outside of government' without someone to steer the ship.
It's no secret that there have been complaints about the DOGE's largely junior workforce, while Musk has been its divisive but outspoken figurehead.
Musk had already outlined a 2026 'expiry' date for DOGE, hoping it would get near those $2 trillion cuts before then.
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Of course, there are questions about whether it will continue without Musk at the helm.
Asked whether the DOGE will carry on without Musk overseeing it, President Donald Trump suggested that it's time is coming to an end.
Speaking to the press at the Oval Office, the POTUS explained: "Well, I can’t tell you that... I can say this that, a lot of the people that are working with DOGE are the secretaries and heads of various agencies – and they’ve learned a lot and they’re dealing with the DOGE people.
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"I think some of them may try and keep the DOGE people with them. But, at a certain point, I think it will end."
There have been complaints about just how close Musk has become to the President despite only being a 'special government employee'. That position stipulated he could only work for 130 days a year, and with Trump having been in office for 72 days (at the time of writing), Musk stepping down soon fits with this timeline.
Elsewhere, there's been a vocal backlash to Musk. When asked if he'd stop doing work at DOGE in the face of his net worth taking a hit, the deflated-looking billionaire vowed to carry on as he said: "I'm just here trying to make the government more efficient, eliminate waste and fraud. So far, we're making good progress."
Responding to the news that Musk will be bowing out of the DOGE, Trump continued to praise the 'First Buddy' as he told reporters during the huddle: "At some point, he’s going to be going back. I’d keep him as long as I can keep him – he’s a very talented guy.
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"You know I love very smart people. He’s very smart, and he’s done a good job."
This comes after Trump joked about firing anyone in his cabinet who didn't agree with the work Musk was doing. It was followed by another cabinet meeting where Trump's closest advisors continued to gush about Musk.
At the time of writing, the DOGE's so-called wall of receipts claims it has shaved $140 billion from the federal spend (working out at $869.57 per taxpayer). This is a long way off the proposed $2 trillion, and that's before we get to allegations that the DOGE's numbers don't add up. With Vivek Ramaswamy dropping out of the DOGE before he ever officially worked with it, and now Musk abandoning ship, the future of the divisive department hangs in the balance.