However, Musk announced Wednesday evening that he is leaving his role as a special government employee and top adviser to President Donald Trump. His job heading the Department of Government Efficiency was always supposed to be temporary. But in a recent interview with CBS, Musk was critical of the president’s “big, beautiful bill.”

Musk said he had "done enough" and that he will step away from the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), the inner-government group that has slashed federal budgets and workforces. As he prepared his goodbyes, Newsweek looked back at Musk's time in government and asked experts on whether he will have a lasting impact.