Elon Musk and Donald Trump have issued an ultimatum to federal employees—respond to an email detailing their weekly accomplishments or be considered resigned. As part of Musk’s role in the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) alongside Vivek Ramaswamy, employees were instructed to submit five achievements by 11:59 PM ET on Monday. Musk reinforced the directive on Twitter, stating non-compliance would be treated as resignation.

The email, sent after Trump’s CPAC speech, had the subject “What did you do last week?” and prohibited classified details. While some, like Matt Van Swol, supported the move, backlash ensued. FBI Director Kash Patel urged employees to hold off, and federal courts warned against action. AFGE President Everett Kelley condemned it as “cruel and disrespectful,” pledging legal action. Meanwhile, CNN reported that while the emails were marked high-priority, Musk’s resignation threat was absent from them.

Responding to this email would take less than 2 minutes for any truly productive person.

Why is this in any way controversial? pic.twitter.com/vm1Yig5bRi

— Matt Van Swol (@matt_vanswol) February 22, 2025