Elon Musk’s “What Did You Do Last Week?” Email Has Federal Workers Freaking Out

Elon Musk’s Federal Employee Email Sparks Controversy and Legal Pushback

If you’re one of the hundreds of thousands of government employees who got the now-infamous email, you know exactly what we’re talking about. If not, here’s the deal: Musk, who’s now heading up the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) under President Trump, sent out a simple (but kinda scary) request:

 “What did you do last week?”

Yep. That’s the whole vibe of the email. It asks employees to send five bullet points listing what they accomplished the previous week—and oh, by the way, failure to respond might just be considered a resignation. Yikes.

Here’s the email in question:

What’s the Big Deal?

At first glance, this might sound like a regular performance check-in, but it’s turning into a huge controversy. Why?

 It applies to ALL federal employees, including those in sensitive roles
 Agencies weren’t given a heads-up, so now there’s chaos
 Some departments say it’s not legal, and employees don’t have to comply
 It’s already led to lawsuits, because, of course it has

Some government agencies—like the FBI, the State Department, and the Pentagon—have straight-up told their workers to IGNORE the email. Meanwhile, labor unions are lawyering up and taking Musk to court over what they call “a blatant violation of federal employment laws.”

Musk’s Take: Love It or Leave It

Musk, being Musk, isn’t backing down. He went straight to X (formerly Twitter) to defend his move, saying:

 “If you can’t list 5 things you did last week, why are you even working here? The government should be run like a business. Dead weight needs to go!”

His argument? Top performers won’t have an issue, and this is just about accountability. But, predictably, the backlash has been swift.

So, What Happens Now?

With lawsuits already flying and agencies pushing back hard, here’s what we can expect in the coming days:

 Legal battles – Unions and federal employees are challenging the order in court
 More agency guidance – Will workers actually get fired for ignoring this? TBD.
 A massive political debate – Because, well, this is 2025, and everything is political

The Bottom Line

Musk’s “What did you do last week?” email might seem simple, but it’s turned into one of the biggest workplace controversies of the year. Some say it’s a bold move to cut inefficiencies, while others see it as an abuse of power that’s creating chaos.

What do YOU think? Fair accountability check or a disaster waiting to happen? Let’s chat in the comments!

Here’s President Donald Trump response: