Elon Musk, the billionaire businessman, is one of the most famous people in America. Whether it’s in the news or just everyday conversations, people can’t seem to stop talking about him. From creating electric cars with Tesla to buying Twitter (now called X), his ideas and decisions always make headlines.
Many people admire him and believe he is a genius. However, recent reports show that he is not always right. Like everyone else, he sometimes makes mistakes. One recent decision connected to Musk has led to a big problem for a U.S. Army veteran.
A man named Mike Macans, who served in the U.S. Army and now lives in Alaska, recently lost his job in a very confusing and frustrating way. According to reports, Macans was working for the Small Business Administration (SBA), a government agency that helps small businesses. One day, he received a message saying he was fired.
A short time later, he got another message saying there was a mistake and that he was not actually fired. But before he could relax, he got another message confirming that he was, in fact, fired. Then, he received yet another termination letter. This back-and-forth process left him shocked and uncertain about what was happening.
Reports say this happened because of a decision made by Elon Musk. According to sources, Musk wants federal employees to prove that their jobs are necessary. If they cannot, they will be fired. This decision has led to many job cuts in different government agencies, including the one where Macans worked.
Because of this sudden decision, Macans is now facing serious difficulties. He has not received the paperwork he needs to apply for unemployment benefits. He is also unsure whether he still has health insurance, which is extremely worrying for him and his family.
Macans shared his feelings about the situation in an interview with Alaska Public Radio. He said, “I’ve never felt more betrayed in my entire life.” He did not expect to lose his job, and now he is struggling to figure out what to do next.
The situation is even more difficult because Macans’ wife, Lara, is currently battling cancer. Cancer treatment is very expensive, and without a stable job, Macans is worried about how they will afford medical care.
Lara also spoke out about the situation. She was very upset about how the layoffs were handled. “It’s shocking how little they care about how this affects not just the employee, but their entire family,” she said.
Macans is also confused about why he was fired. His last job performance review described him as an “exceptional asset” and said he always did high-quality work. So why was he suddenly let go? He still does not have a clear answer.
After being laid off, Macans decided to share his experience on LinkedIn. He wrote a long post thanking his coworkers at the SBA for their support. He also shared that he will be graduating with an MBA (Master of Business Administration) from Alaska Pacific University this April.
Despite the difficulties he is facing, he remains hopeful. In his post, he mentioned that he is looking for new job opportunities in areas like community engagement, business development, and emergency management. He is now actively searching for a new job.
According to Forbes, Elon Musk is leading a plan to cut 10% of jobs in the U.S. federal government. This includes firing all 10,000 employees at the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), a government organization that helps countries in need.
This move reminds people of what happened after Musk bought Twitter (now called X) in 2022. After taking over the company, he fired a large number of employees to cut costs. Now, he seems to be making similar decisions for federal jobs. Many USAID employees are currently on administrative leave, meaning they are not working but also have no clear answer about their future.
Meanwhile, Elon Musk’s company X (formerly Twitter) is also struggling. In 2023, the company lost 45% of its value. Musk originally bought Twitter for $44 billion, but it is now only worth $9 billion.
To deal with these financial struggles, X has changed its focus. It now encourages users to pay for premium subscriptions and relies more on an algorithm-driven feed to show content. These changes are meant to bring in more money.
Another major problem for X is that big companies like Disney and Apple have stopped advertising on the platform. They made this decision in 2023 because of concerns about how X handles content and because of some controversial things Musk has said.
So far, Musk has not said much about this issue, so people are waiting to see what happens next.
