So long, Elon: the cuts didn’t go to plan, but you completely shredded your reputation | Marina Hyde

Judging by Musk's approval ratings, Tesla investors won't be the only ones happy to see the dethroning of the king of Doge

I can't believe that Elon Musk is leaving Doge, the government department he named after a tired and basic meme that most of the internet had moved on from around a decade ago. As my scheduled time as a Special Government Employee comes to an end," Musk wrote this week (capital letters: model's own), I would like to thank President @realDonaldTrump for the opportunity to reduce wasteful government spending." Oh man. Thank you for the opportunity"?! At some level you have to salute Donald Trump's ability to turn even the world's richest man into an Apprentice candidate who leaves in week four after completely wiping out in the hotdog stand task.

Musk arrived in government promising to slash spending by $2tn. He leaves it a mere $1.86tn short of that target, even by his own estimations. Meanwhile, the president's new tax bill is set to add $2.3tn to the deficit. I imagine Musk thought his government finale would be a spectacular extravaganza - you're welcome, Washington!" - involving 2,000 chainsaw-wielding chorus girls. Instead, it's a tweet. And yes - we DO all still call them tweets.

Marina Hyde is a Guardian columnist