Elon Musk and his son X Æ leave a meeting with Senate committee members on May 21. Photo: Andrew Harnik/Getty Images Tesla CEO Elon Musk has made a permanent mark on the U.S. government, wielding his DOGE chain saw to slash federal agencies and their workforces at the behest of the Trump administration. But the wealthiest man in the world has signaled he intends to step back from politics following a prominent loss in a state-level judge race and growing discontent among his company’s consumers.