Elon Musk tells federal workers: Submit your work report in 48 hours or risk losing your job

Elon Musk, head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOJE), sent a clear message to federal employees: submit a summary of the work you‍‍`ve done in the past week within 48 hours, or it will be treated as a resignation.

The message, which followed a post from Musk on the social media platform X, was sent to employees in several federal agencies, including the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The subject line of the email read: "What Did You Do Last Week?"

Musk’s post on X revealed that all federal employees would be receiving an email soon, requesting details of the previous week’s work. The email warned that failing to respond would be seen as resignation. 

"If you don‍‍`t respond to this email, it will be considered as resigning from your position," Musk wrote.

This email came just hours after U.S. President Donald Trump posted on his own social media platform, Truth Social, pushing for a more aggressive approach from the DOJE in reducing and restructuring the 2.3 million-strong federal workforce.

The email required employees to summarize their work in five bullet points and send a copy to their managers. 

Federal employees were given until 11:59 PM the following day to respond.

Some employees working within the judicial system also received the email, although the judicial branch is not part of the U.S. government‍‍`s executive branch. Sources familiar with the situation confirmed the emails were sent, but the U.S. Court’s Administrative Office has yet to comment.

Questions have been raised about the legal grounds under which Musk can terminate employees who fail to respond. 

It‍‍`s also unclear how those employees who deal with confidential work will be affected, as they may not be able to share detailed reports.

The American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE), which represents federal workers, has already warned that they will challenge any illegal firing of employees under this directive.

As the deadline approaches, many federal workers are left uncertain about what will happen if they don’t meet the demands set by Musk and the Trump administration.