“What did you do last week?” – Musk email causes uncertainty

A threat by tech billionaire and US efficiency commissioner Elon Musk to fire civil servants caused confusion over the weekend. Musk wants to see proof of work from them within a set period of time - otherwise they will be fired. Several US authorities instructed their employees not to respond to a corresponding email from Musk, US media reported. The government employees' union (AFGE) also took legal action against the order, according to court documents.

Musk announced on Saturday on his platform X that - in line with the instructions of US President Donald Trump - all federal employees would soon receive a corresponding email. "Failure to respond will be considered termination," he threatened.

Court documents show that an email with the subject "What did you do last week?" was actually sent on Saturday from an address in the US Office of Personnel Management - with instructions to provide bullet points of work and to CC the direct supervisor. The deadline was Monday evening, 11:59 p.m. (local time). "According to information available, this email was sent to over two million federal employees," the documents say.

Several agencies are said to have been instructed not to comply with the call. The Defense Department posted a corresponding directive from personnel officer Darin S. Selnick on X on Sunday. "The Defense Department is responsible for reviewing the performance of its personnel and will conduct any review according to its own procedures," it said.

Responding to another senior department official who had sharply criticized the order, according to media reports, Musk told X: "Anyone who has the attitude of this Pentagon official should look for a new job."

However, according to US media, FBI Director Kash Patel and intelligence coordinator Tulsi Gabbard are among those who gave such instructions - both were only recently appointed to their positions by Trump. It is therefore unclear to what extent there is disagreement within the US government about how to deal with Musk's email and who should even answer it.

A second directive from the US Office of Personnel Management on Monday caused further confusion - according to consistent media reports, officials were informed that responding to the previous email was "voluntary" and that there was therefore no need to fear dismissals.

The US president, however, denied contradictory communication. In some authorities, there were instructions not to respond because they were dealing with confidential matters, Trump explained on the sidelines of a meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron. "This was by no means intended as an attack on Elon," the Republican stressed, calling Musk's email "a pretty brilliant idea." He had already backed the tech billionaire and wrote on Truth Social that he wanted to see him act even more "aggressively."

Trump has tasked Musk with reducing government spending and has given him virtually free rein to do so. A committee called DOGE (Department of Government Efficiency) has been set up for this purpose and is attached to the White House. Musk is pushing ahead with the restructuring of the state apparatus in Trump's name - including mass layoffs.