In a move that has sent shockwaves through the federal workforce, President Donald Trump and Tesla CEO Elon Musk have jointly issued an unprecedented ultimatum to all federal employees. According to multiple reports, an email titled “What did you do last week?” has been dispatched to every federal employee, mandating that they submit a brief report on their accomplishments during the previous workweek—or be considered to have resigned.

A New Era of Government Efficiency?
The email, sent out on Saturday, February 22, outlines a straightforward but stark instruction: federal employees are required to reply with approximately five bullet points summarizing their work from the past week. The message instructs recipients to cc their direct managers, and it strictly prohibits the inclusion of any classified information, links, or attachments. The deadline for compliance is set at 11:59 PM EST on Monday.

Elon Musk took to Twitter to clarify the directive, tweeting:

“Consistent with President @realDonaldTrump’s instructions, all federal employees will shortly receive an email requesting to understand what they got done last week. Failure to respond will be taken as a resignation.”

This directive forms part of a broader initiative by Trump’s administration to streamline federal operations and reduce what they perceive as bureaucratic inefficiency. Under the banner of the newly established Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), which is being led in part by Musk—who has been officially designated as a “special government employee”—the administration aims to dismantle layers of government bureaucracy, slash redundant regulations, and cut wasteful spending across federal agencies.