Pasayten's Methow Valley Bulletin Board

I think the letter p*ssed off more people than it drove away.

Just from speaking to a few friends in long-time federal service, the sense I got yesterday was that they mostly went from resigned to angry and willing to fight.

My own suspicion is given how random and haphazard the whole process is a lot of people who leave will likely come back as consultants at 3X or 4X the pay.

The legalities of the buyout and what the actual memo says vs what Musk is saying.
https://popular.info/p/despite-media-re ... mp-has-not

Article written by a Fed'l Employee who has received the emails
https://slate.com/news-and-politics/202 ... -musk.html

Vox explains
https://www.vox.com/politics/397235/mus ... schedule-f

from Scott Pilulik:

'One point I didn't manage to fit into my Slate piece the other day about the emails sent to federal workers directing them to snitch on their DEI-sympathizing co-workers was that the email was designed in part to downsize the federal workforce, to better realize Grover Norquist's dream of shrinking government to a point where you could "drown it in a bathub."
Tonight that strategy become even clearer as hundreds of thousands of federal workers received an email evidently drafted by Elon Musk (or someone from his team) with the subject line "Fork in the Road" (the same subject line as the email Musk sent out when he took over Twitter and fired thousands) and offering a workers "deferred resignation." Workers can accept the alleged offer by typing "resign" into a subject line and hitting send.
A few things:
(1) it's not clear that the OMB or the President has the authority to make this offer b/c federal buyouts are maxed at $25k, and the buyouts offered here would easily exceed that amount.
(2) The buyout offer is both threatening and coercive. The email strongly suggests that choosing to stay will result in your life being made hell--"enhanced standards of suitability and conduct." The email also uses the "return to work five days a week" requirement as a carrot, by exempting workers who choose the "deferred resignation."
(3) The form "Deferred Resignation Letter," hastily drafted in the worker's voice, feels legally dubious. Employment law isn't my area but I know enough to note that terminating your employment with the federal government is complicated and Musk is treating federal workers like they're at-will employees at a startup that didn't quite work out. I can't imagine any attorney advising their client to accept this "offer" by its terms, not only because there's a good chance the government doesn't have the authority, but because by its terms the form "letter" concedes legal rights that workers should only concede after naling down guarantees about the severance terms.
(4) There's a tone of dripping disrespect to the email Musk sent out that will likely anger federal workers and cause resignations with or without a package.'