Billionaire Elon Musk issued a strong ultimatum to federal employees on Saturday, declaring on his social media platform, X, that they must respond to an email detailing their work for the week—or consider it a resignation.

However, this directive quickly met resistance within the Trump administration. On Sunday, newly appointed FBI Director Kash Patel instructed all FBI employees to hold off on responding to Musk’s email, signaling potential future power struggles. According to AFP, Patel took this stance as Musk, in his informal role as the head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), pushed for greater accountability.

In an email to FBI staff, Patel emphasized that the agency would conduct its own reviews and handle such matters internally. He stated that any requests for work justification would be managed through official FBI procedures and advised employees not to respond to the email at this time, as reported by NBC.

Musk’s Directive: Justify Your Work or Resign

On Saturday, Musk posted on X (formerly Twitter) that all federal employees must provide a breakdown of their work for the past week. He warned that failure to respond would be considered a resignation.

"All federal employees will shortly receive an email asking them to outline what they accomplished last week. If they don’t respond, it will be assumed they have resigned," Musk wrote.

According to reports, the directive was sent via the US Office of Personnel Management (OPM) with the subject line, "What did you do last week?" Employees were asked to submit about five bullet points detailing their work by 11:59 PM on Monday. However, the email did not explicitly state that non-compliance would lead to job termination.

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FBI Chief Kash Patel Pushes Back

The mandate quickly met resistance from within the Trump administration. Kash Patel, who was recently appointed as the FBI Director, instructed agency employees to hold off on responding to the email.

"FBI personnel may have received an email from OPM requesting work details. The FBI, through the Office of the Director, oversees all internal review processes and will handle this matter accordingly. For now, please pause any responses," Patel wrote in an internal memo, as reported by NBC.

Federal Agencies Urge Employees to Wait

Following Patel’s statement, several federal employees revealed that their agencies advised them not to respond to Musk’s email until further instructions were provided. The National Treasury Employees Union also supported this cautious approach.

Musk, an advisor to President Donald Trump, reportedly sent out this directive after Trump urged him to take a more aggressive approach in cutting government spending. While the move aligns with Trump’s push for efficiency, it has raised concerns over the chain of command and the role Musk plays in federal decision-making.