Elon Musk's earnings in his role as head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) have been revealed, and you might be shocked to find out how much the richest man in the world has picked up before departs from the role.
If there's one thing that has defined US President Donald Trump's return to office this year it's DOGE, as the waste-cutting agency's actions have had a (deliberately) devastating effect across countless government institutions.
At its head is Elon Musk, who following a $288 million election donation was awarded arguably one of the most powerful positions in Trump's administration, quickly branding himself 'First Buddy' due to his close relationship with the president.
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Despite working 120 hours a week in a way that doctors have branded extremely dangerous, Musk's team haven't come close to the initial goal of $2 trillion in savings, and have had to roll back a number of accidental cuts that frightfully left national security at risk.
Key industry experts have urged Musk to leave his role at DOGE and return his priorities to Tesla, which has suffered significant stock market losses across the last few months, so surely you'd expect a role that's by proxy costing him billions of dollars to be paying him enough to justify the hit, right?
That's where you'd be wrong though, as Musk doesn't get paid a single penny from his DOGE role due to his position as a special government employee, and he'll leave the department with nothing in the way of a salary, as revealed by Newsweek.
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On top of this, documents from the White House indicate that Musk has "no actual or formal authority to make government decisions himself," although it's clear to anyone that the billionaire is (or at least, was) a significant driver of policy within the White House and had the ear of the president.
That's not to say that his proximity to influential members of government hasn't benefitted him financially elsewhere though, as some have pointed out Musk's alleged conflict of interest when it came to the awarding of major government contracts to both SpaceX and its subsidiary Starlink.
It's Musk's position as a special government employee that's also the reason behind his somewhat unexpected exit too, as he's only allowed to work 130 days of the year which would run out by the end of May.
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Reports surrounding his exit appear to suggest that his influence in government has began to wane though, especially following his failure to secure the desired supreme court vote in Wisconsin despite the allure of a $1 million 'prize'.
Any Tesla investors out there will likely hope that Musk's realigned focus on the electric car company will reinvigorate its position on the market and with consumers, but it's clear that Elon Musk's pockets have been damaged by his short stint in government, even if he still sits at the top of Forbes' rich list for the year.