Tech billionaire Elon Musk seems to have inspired the Trump administration’s latest bold move to restructure the federal workforce, a move that mirrors the one he made when he bought Twitter. 

The Trump administration on Tuesday sent a blunt ultimatum to federal employees. In an email that was nearly identical in tone and even subject line to one Mr. Musk sent Twitter employees after he bought the social media platform, federal workers were offered a “fork in the road”: resign and enjoy an extended paid leave or remain and recommit to meeting “high expectations” under Mr. Trump’s new directive.

The email, sent out by the Office of Personnel Management, outlines the administration’s goal to downsize the federal government in order to raise efficiency and save taxpayer money. Employees who accept the offer to resign will leave their roles but remain on the payroll through the end of September. 

“American taxpayers pay for the salaries of federal government employees, and therefore deserve employees working on their behalf who actually show up to work in our wonderful federal buildings, also paid for by taxpayers,” White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement. “If they don’t want to work in the office and contribute to making America great again, then they are free to choose a different line of work, and the Trump Administration will provide a very generous payout of 8 months.”

Mr. Musk, who slashed Twitter’s workforce by an eye-popping 80 percent during his chaotic overhaul of the San Francisco-based company, has famously used harsh ultimatums to weed out “underperformers.” His approach at Twitter demanded total loyalty and “hardcore” dedication — a controversial playbook Mr. Trump seems eager to emulate. Critics argue this tactic could leave federal agencies crippled, putting critical services at risk.

In the case of Twitter, hundreds of employees resigned in response. With the resignations and a slew of layoffs that followed, the company went from nearly 7,500 employees to about 1,500. There was a drop in use on the site now known as X — monthly active users fell 15 percent worldwide, according to web analytics provider SimilarWeb. Still, Mr. Musk just last month said that X has 550 million monthly active users, who share up to 200 million posts daily.

Mr. Musk, who heads the Trump administration’s Department of Government Efficiency, took a defiant stance regarding Mr. Trump’s edict to federal employees. On his platform X, Mr. Musk celebrated the policy, framing it as a step toward “leaner, faster government.” He coined the phrase “ultimate freedom” for employees who opt to resign, suggesting they’ll have time off to “find better opportunities — or just relax.”

The federal government is a far different animal from Twitter, with more than 2 million employees. If Mr. Trump’s goal is to save $100 billion by purging 5 percent to 10 percent of the federal workforce, critics argue the associated risks far outweigh the rewards. Mass layoffs or attrition could adversely affect how the government operates.

The email sent to 2 million federal employees included a draft resignation letter and a one-step way to step down: just “resign.” The resignation period began Tuesday and will run through February 6.

Mr. Trump may be banking on Mr. Musk’s reputation as a disruptor to justify this radical plan. But whether Mr. Musk’s cutthroat formula for reducing costs and demanding loyalty will fly on Capitol Hill remains an open question. For now, the gamble is clear — transform the federal government, Musk-style, or risk political chaos come election season.