On Saturday afternoon, users across the United States reported widespread outages on X, the social media platform owned by Elon Musk. The disruption, which began around 2 p.m. local time, lasted for approximately two hours and left parts of the site inaccessible. By 4 p.m., service had mostly resumed, but the incident prompted Musk to make a rare public statement acknowledging operational failures and vowing a renewed focus on his companies.
“Back to working 24/7 and sleeping in conference/server/factory rooms,” Musk posted on X shortly after services were restored. He cited the need to prioritize critical technology deployments at X, xAI, and Tesla, adding, “As shown by X operational issues this week, major improvements are needed. Failover redundancy should have worked, but didn’t.”
A Turning Point in Musk’s Government Role
The timing of the outage coincided with Musk’s growing disillusionment with his role in the federal government under President Donald J. Trump. In a post that same day on X, Musk confirmed his departure from the Trump administration, where he had served as a Special Government Employee tasked with cutting federal spending.
His mandate included oversight of the Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, an initiative he once promoted as a transformative force inside Washington. Though Musk had been highly visible during the early days of Trump’s second term, his presence had diminished in recent weeks. A White House official confirmed his exit was underway, describing the decision as finalized at the senior staff level.
Criticism and Friction Within the Administration
Musk’s frustrations had been building for weeks. In an interview with The Washington Post earlier in May, he said the federal bureaucracy was “much worse than I realized,” and called his reform efforts “an uphill battle.” He also criticized Trump’s newly proposed tax legislation, calling it “too expensive” and incompatible with DOGE’s efficiency goals.
Behind closed doors, Musk clashed with several high-level officials. According to sources familiar with the situation, he referred to White House trade adviser Peter Navarro as a “moron” after Navarro dismissed his call for zero tariffs between the United States and Europe. Musk also voiced opposition to a reported agreement between Abu Dhabi and OpenAI, a rival to his own artificial intelligence venture. The Wall Street Journal reported that Musk had tried to derail the deal unless his company was included.
Mounting Setbacks in Washington
Musk’s departure follows a series of political and strategic setbacks. According to The New York Times, his $25 million campaign to back a judicial candidate in Wisconsin failed, contributing to what insiders described as a broader sense of “disillusionment.” Despite investing nearly $300 million into Republican campaigns in 2024, Musk recently announced he would scale back his political spending, saying, “I think I’ve done enough.”
Though his 130-day term was due to expire around May 30, the split was marked by an abrupt lack of ceremony. He did not inform President Trump directly before making the announcement on X. DOGE, meanwhile, is expected to continue under the administration, having already reduced the federal workforce by roughly 12 percent, or about 260,000 positions, according to a Reuters analysis.
Starship Gears Up for Another Test Launch
Even as he distances himself from Washington, Musk’s attention has turned to one of his most ambitious undertakings. SpaceX, the rocket company he founded, is preparing for a new test of its Starship vehicle next week. The massive rocket, designed for future missions to the Moon and Mars, has experienced two explosive failures in past launches. A successful test could mark a major milestone for the company’s long-term ambitions.
The launch adds to Musk’s packed agenda, which includes overseeing operations at Tesla, refining xAI’s conversational model Grok, and addressing the recent failures at X. With multiple technology deployments on the horizon, Musk appears poised to reassert control over his business empire after an experimental—and turbulent—stint in public service.
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