Elon Musk has only one week in his role in the new administration of President Donald Trump, but the American federal government already deploys the Twitter game book to manage its expenses and its staff. Just as Musk did when he took over the social media platform, Trump’s team is trying to considerably reduce the number of government members and ensure that those who stay are faithful to order of the president’s day.
Tuesday, federal employees received an email which reflects the missive “fork in the road” sent to the staff of Twitter (now x) shortly after Musk bought the company in 2022. The e-mail asks It is federal workers to resign by February 6 if they do not wish to return to the office five days a week and engage in a culture of excellence. Those who choose to resign will continue to obtain wages and benefits until September, according to the memo.
“Federal workforce should be made up of reliable, loyal, trustworthy employees who aim for excellence in their daily work,” reads the e-mail, which was Published later On the American personnel management website. “Employees will be subject to improved adequacy and driving standards as we progress.”
The news occurs while Musk’s servants take control of the American management office, which acts as a human resources department for federal labor. Elon Musk did not immediately respond to a request for wired comments. The staff management office has also not responded to a request for comments.
Musk and his advisers, including Trump’s newly named AI and Tsar Crypto David Sacks, used a remarkably similar strategy at Twitter. About a week after the end of the acquisition, Musk dismissed half of the workforce. Sacks helped advise him on the teams and the people who would be cut.
About two weeks later, the remaining employees received an email with the object line “a fork on the road”. Musk said they should be “extremely hardcore” in order to achieve their vision of Twitter 2.0. This meant “working long hours with high intensity”. He noted that “only exceptional performance” would receive “a passing note”. Employees were invited to opt for this vision via a web form. Whoever did not do the day the next day would receive three months of departure, said Musk. Thousands of Twitter employees would continue later, arguing that they had not been paid for their complete compensation. Musk ultimately was able to reject the prosecution.
“We all take our heads with disbelief how it all feels familiar,” said Yao Yue, a former Twitter principal engineer. “Except, the federal government and its employees have specific laws in terms of expenses, hiring and dismissal.”
In this case, federal employees are invited to send an email with the word “resign” in the object line in the next 10 days. “The purge of the federal government of dedicated career civil servants will have vast involuntary consequences that will provoke chaos for Americans who depend on a functional federal government”, Everett Kelley, national president of the American Federation of Government employees, workers’ federal union, said in a statement. “This offer should not be considered voluntary. Between the burst of anti-traveler decrees and policies, it is clear that the objective of the Trump administration is to transform the federal government into a toxic environment where workers cannot remain even if they wish. »»
