Elon Musk caused alarm among federal employees and drew ire over an email sent on Saturday requesting that employees summarize their work for the week, and warning on social media that a failure to do so would be taken as a resignation.

Federal workers faced conflicting directions on whether to respond. One employee, who requested anonymity out of fear of retaliation, was told to expect guidance that the request was optional. But when that never came, the employee sent in bullet points to avoid possible repercussions.