Some civil servants are using whatever levers they have to resist the orders of the world’s richest man, both in public and behind closed doors.

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.

The turmoil that enveloped the federal workforce over the last few days is unlikely to cease anytime soon as the U.S. government's human resources agency considers how to fulfill Elon Musk ’s demands.