Leaving the US government, Elon Musk returns to the '24/7 work' era

Leaving the White House after more than 4 months leading DOGE, Elon Musk will face concerns about his prolonged absence from his businesses such as Tesla, SpaceX, xAI and X.

Hardly anyone expected that Elon Musk - the billionaire once hailed as a creative icon of the 21st century - would withdraw from American politics with a bland and empty tweet: "I would like to thank President @realDonaldTrump for giving me the opportunity to cut wasteful government spending."

Musk’s time in the U.S. government has been a clear mismatch for his business empire, with Tesla dealerships becoming targets of protests amid falling sales and profits.

Mess at Tesla

At Tesla, Musk’s absence from the business has been more apparent than ever. The billionaire has rarely been to Tesla’s offices or factories since Trump took office. It wasn’t until earnings day that he showed up at one of the company’s offices in Palo Alto, California.

A group of protesters in front of a Tesla store to protest against Elon Musk. Photo: USA Today.

During the visit, Musk asked about the impact of Trump's tariffs on Tesla and was briefed on the impact and weaknesses in the company's supply chain, a source familiar with the matter told the New York Times .

Days after the visit, Tesla reported a 13% drop in vehicle sales in the first quarter of 2025 compared to just a year ago, as profits fell to a four-year low. New tariffs on imported auto parts added to the financial pressure the company was already facing.

Matthew LaBrot, who used to work in sales at Tesla in California, said Mr. Musk’s political activities had alienated buyers from the brand.

“Selling a car has become a daily battle, whereas it wasn’t before. A lot of it is because of Elon Musk,” LaBrot said.

Musk himself has also spoken about Tesla’s challenges in Europe. Only 512 new cars were registered in the UK in April, down 62% from the same month last year. But the billionaire remains optimistic because Tesla’s stock price is positive.

Of course, there’s no denying that Musk’s image has taken a hit after advising Trump. Many people drive Teslas with stickers that say “I bought this car before I knew Elon was crazy,” but Musk doesn’t seem to mind.

“There are people buying cars because Elon is crazy. We lost some customers, but we gained customers in other ways. Overall sales are still strong, we don’t see any problem with the demand falling,” Musk added.

In an interview, Musk denied the possibility of leaving Tesla. The billionaire emphasized that he will continue to hold the position of CEO for the next 5 years.

“Nothing will change about that unless I die… I can’t sit there, afraid of losing my seat because of political activists. That’s unacceptable,” the billionaire added.

Inspirational person

Musk's absence has been felt at SpaceX in recent months. In May, Dylan Small, a former SpaceX mechanic, posted on X warning of "low morale" and "people being burned out" at the rocket startup.

In a message to the New York Times , Mr. Small attributed SpaceX's success largely to employees feeling "inspired," with Elon Musk playing a "huge role in that."

Elon Musk stressed that he will step back from politics to focus on his own technology projects. Photo: Reuters.

While Tesla faces challenges, SpaceX and Starlink are doing well. According to Musk, about 90% of this year’s launches will be SpaceX. Currently, SpaceX has nearly 80% of its satellites in orbit.

SpaceX's strategy is more than just providing Internet via satellite. Musk emphasizes that providing high-speed, low-cost Internet to poor areas is an effective way to reduce poverty.

“When you connect to the Internet, you can learn everything for free, sell goods and services to a global market. When you have knowledge of the Internet and participate in commerce, this will dramatically improve the quality of life for everyone in the world ,” Musk added.

In the field of AI, Musk has great faith in Grok - xAI's chatbot. Next is Neuralink - a startup that implants chips into the human brain.

“We have Neuralink, which has now helped five patients regain their abilities with ‘mind implants’, allowing them to control computers with their thoughts.

We will perform the first vision restoration surgery on a patient using the Blindsight chip later this year or early next year,” Musk added.

According to the billionaire, humanity may be approaching artificial general intelligence (AGI), and that will be the next step for humanity.

A year of political involvement has not only lowered Musk’s popularity in the polls, but has also isolated him within the Trump establishment. Disagreements between Musk and senior advisers have led some Republican strategists to warn that he is becoming a “brand liability.”

Tesla's humanoid robot Optimus impresses with its ability to serve drinks. Photo: Tesla.

Musk, however, quickly pivoted. “Back to work 24/7 and sleeping in server room, factory office,” he posted over the weekend. “Must be all in on X, xAI, and Tesla.”

While a few weeks ago Musk's X page was filled with shocking statements about immigration, justice reform, and attacks on the Democratic Party, this week he focused almost entirely on Tesla's self-driving cars, humanoid robots, and SpaceX's journey to conquer Mars.

Despite President Trump's assertion that "he'll be back many times," the SpaceX founder's White House stay should end before things get any worse.

Returning to selling the dream of technology, continuing to promote projects like Tesla's humanoid robot as a solution to human survival is the most feasible goal right now for Elon Musk.

Source: https://znews.vn/roi-chinh-quyen-my-elon-musk-quay-lai-thoi-ky-lam-viec-247-post1558148.html