As he retreats from Washington, Elon Musk says he will spend “a lot less” on politics. Close advisers say he is eager to return to prior obsessions.

As Musk winds down at DOGE, he returns to a business empire flush with opportunities and fewer investigations—but new reputational challenges.

Musk said he will be "helpful where I can be helpful."

Explore the rise and fall of Elon Musk's influence within Washington as he attempted to reshape federal bureaucracy through the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), leading to clashes with key officials and a rapid exit.

Elon Musk used to be everywhere in President Donald Trump’s second term. The Oval Office. Air Force One. Front row at the Capitol. But now, Elon has vanished from Trump’s world. No Truth Social posts.

For axing the parts of the federal bureaucracy he didn’t like, Musk has earned a cushy second act — as the recipient of sweetheart deals from foreign governments looking to gain favor with the president.

Tensions have reached a boiling point between Elon Musk and Trump's cabinet, highlighted by a profanity-laced confrontation over IRS leadership. Musk's attempts to bypass protocol and implement sweeping spending cuts through his DOGE initiative have sparked outrage.

However, a closer read of Walter Isaacson’s 2023 biography of Musk provided a clue, and apparent confirmation. In Chapter 6, Isaacson writes that Elon, shortly after arriving in Canada in 1989, interned in Microsoft’s Toronto office — a detail that supports Nadella’s statement, though it hasn’t been widely discussed elsewhere.