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Elon Musk again threatens federal employee layoffs

The billionaire renews the ultimatum via X, while the White House clarifies that the response is optional

Elon Musk is back in the news with another threatening message on X, this time aimed at US federal employees. After sending a first email asking them to justify their work activities, the billionaire warns that those who do not respond to the second reminder will be fired. ‘Following the president’s decision, you have been given a new chance, failure to respond this second time will result in dismissal,’ Musk wrote, referring to the Department of Efficiency (DOGE), created specifically by Trump.

Musk’s position raised protests, even within the Trump administration. Shortly before the ultimatum expired, the White House-linked Office of Personnel Management (OPM) clarified that the response to the email is voluntary and does not automatically lead to dismissal. However, Musk insists on threatening immediate sanctions for those who fail to respond.

Major federal agencies, including the FBI, Pentagon, State Department and Homeland Security, have urged their employees to ignore Musk’s request, stressing that productivity management remains under their jurisdiction.

Furthermore, an investigation by NBC News revealed that employees’ answers will be analysed by an artificial intelligence (AI) system, using an LLM (Large Language Model) to determine the relevance of the tasks described. Sources suggest that the use of AI could be the clue behind Musk’s request to avoid sending attachments and links in responses. However, it is unclear whether the answers will actually be read by officials or by automated systems.

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