"This is not unreasonable" — Shark Tank's Kevin O'Leary backs Elon Musk's email ultimatum for federal workers

Shark Tank investor Kevin O'Leary addressed Elon Musk's email ultimatum, requiring federal employees to list their weekly accomplishments, in a recent CNN interview posted on his X account on February 25, 2025. When asked to share his take on the situation, the investor backed the request with a personal anecdote.

"In the private sector, I do this every day. I ask, 'What are you doing? Where are you? I mean, are you alive?' This is not unreasonable," he said.

Kevin responded shortly after the Tesla and SpaceX founder hinted that government employees may be given "another chance" to answer to emails that were due on Monday, failure to which would result in "termination." The Shark Tank alum addressed the matter, saying it was not an "unreasonable" request since employers should know if workers are showing up to work.

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"No one's ever tested this" — Shark Tank fame Kevin O'Leary shares insight on the ultimatum

DOGE chief Elon Musk's initial request to federal employees to submit emails detailing their weekly accomplishments in five bullet points caused a stir among the workforce. However, the government supported the decision, saying it was a "great" initiative since there were people who did not show up to work and nobody knew if they worked for the government.

Musk's second intimation came later, informing employees about the consequence of disregarding the email. However, hours before the owner of X issued the intimation, the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) notified federal managers that the responses already sent were "voluntary" and would not put any worker at risk of losing their job if they chose to act otherwise.

The same point was brought up in the CNN interview. When the Shark Tank investor was asked if it made a difference that some of the workers were instructed not to respond by their employers, he said:

"No, it doesn't."

Kevin, popularly known as Mr. Wonderful, expressed concern about Musk having to make a second request to employees to send the emails.

"First of all, if they're not answering after two times requested are they dead?" Kevin asked.

While the interviewer stated his stance was "drastic," he continued to speak on the importance of maintaining a communication loop. Kevin reiterated that it was neither "unreasonable" nor "wrong" to hold an employee accountable for not responding to an email after being asked twice on record.

He claimed any "rational person" would agree with his perspective, noting it was "not okay" to ignore such a request. The Shark Tank investor believed no one was "worried" about it because it was a model that had never been implemented or "tested."

"I don't think that many people are that worried about this because no one's ever tested this before. You've got billions of dollars going out to hundreds of people, thousands, tens of thousands of people and nobody knows if they're A) Alive, B) Working; where are they; what are they doing," he explained.

He added the request was not illogical since he followed a similar model and pattern in the private sector and with his employees.

In the latter half of the interview, the Shark Tank alum addressed people's perspectives, saying he knew Musk was considered "controversial" and DOGE "electric." However, irrespective of the opinions, Kevin supported the recent occurrences, saying it was not out of line to question an employee who was neither working nor could be contacted.

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Watch Kevin O'Leary on Shark Tank season 16 airing Fridays at 8 pm ET exclusively on ABC.