KUALA LUMPUR — Elon Musk’s push to overhaul the U.S. government’s bureaucracy has placed a spotlight on a group of young software engineers hired to modernise federal technology.
As head of President Donald Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), Musk has enlisted several rising tech talents to streamline operations and reduce waste.
A report from Wired reveals that six young men—Akash Bobba, Edward Coristine, Luke Farritor, Gautier Cole Killian, Gavin Kliger, and Ethan Shaotran—have taken on key roles within DOGE.
Aged between 19 and 24, these engineers are tasked with optimising government software and IT systems to boost efficiency and productivity.
Bobba, an alumnus of UC Berkeley’s prestigious Management, Entrepreneurship, and Technology program, has interned at firms like Meta and Palantir. His problem-solving skills have been praised by industry peers, with Grata AI CEO Charis Zhang sharing a story of Bobba rebuilding an entire project codebase overnight after a last-minute deletion.
Coristine, who recently studied mechanical engineering and physics at Northwestern, previously worked on Musk’s Neuralink project. He and Bobba are now reportedly serving as “experts” at the United States Office of Personnel Management (OPM).
Kliger, listed as a special advisor to the director of OPM, has prior experience with the AI company Databricks. His Substack writings suggest a deep interest in government reform, with posts questioning Washington’s power dynamics. Meanwhile, Killian, a McGill University graduate and former high-frequency trading engineer, has joined as a volunteer for DOGE.
Shaotran, a Harvard computer science student and founder of the OpenAI-backed startup Energize AI, has also joined the team. His past accolades include a second-place finish in a Musk-sponsored “hackathon.” Farritor, a former University of Nebraska-Lincoln student and Thiel fellow, became widely known for using AI to decode a 2,000-year-old Greek scroll.
According to Wired, Bobba, Coristine, Farritor, and Shaotran have secured government email addresses and high-level clearance, granting them access to critical IT systems at the General Services Administration (GSA). This has raised concerns among congressional Democrats, who argue that DOGE’s activities are circumventing standard oversight procedures.
Musk has dismissed these concerns, claiming his team is exposing systemic inefficiencies. He recently alleged that Treasury Department officials were instructed to approve payments even to fraudulent or terrorist-linked entities, asserting that DOGE is bringing essential accountability to government spending.
President Trump has praised the intelligence of the young hires, comparing them to top professionals in their field. Speaking from the Oval Office, he remarked, “They’re very smart people. We need smart people. Some are young, and some are not young at all, but they’ve found great things.”
Musk has also defended his hiring approach, stating on X, “We don’t care where you went to school or what ‘big name’ company you worked at. Just show us your code.” In another post, he confirmed media reports that DOGE has some of the “world’s best software engineers.”
Despite criticism from lawmakers, DOGE has moved forward with its cost-cutting mission. The initiative claims to have already eliminated over $1 billion in federal spending, primarily through shutting down diversity, equity, and inclusion programs.
A White House spokesperson stated, “DOGE is fulfilling President Trump’s commitment to making the government more accountable, efficient, and restoring proper stewardship of taxpayers’ hard-earned dollars. While some in the federal bureaucracy resist change, it is necessary and aligns with the mandate supported by over 77 million voters.” — February 5, 2025