Elon Musk’s efficiency group, the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), has been quietly reshaping federal agencies, with at least 45 members identified, according to The New York Times. Comprised mainly of software engineers and AI specialists, the team is working to shrink and disrupt government operations, despite most having little to no prior experience in Washington.
DOGE has reportedly targeted over 20 agencies, gaining access to sensitive government data systems, though the full scope of its influence remains unclear. The Trump administration has not disclosed key personnel, and much of the group’s work operates in secrecy.
Originally housed within the United States Digital Service (USDS) under the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), DOGE was moved to the White House by executive order, effectively shielding its activities from public records laws.
The team includes Musk’s allies, AI engineers, and former employees, some of whom have deleted their social media accounts after their involvement surfaced in news reports. While the full extent of DOGE’s mandate is unknown, its presence spans key agencies such as the Office of Personnel Management (OPM), the General Services Administration (GSA), the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), and the Department of Energy.
Beyond staffing changes, the group has been driving technological restructuring and policy shifts, often reflecting Musk’s corporate playbook.
Key Members of DOGE Group:
Software Engineers
- Jordan Wick: Former Waymo engineer; co-founded an AI hackathon; now involved with the CFPB.
- Cole Killian: Works at DOGE; detailee at the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
- Greg Hogan: AI and software expert; leads tech efforts at OPM.
- Ryan Riedel: Ex-SpaceX security engineer; now CIO at the Department of Energy.
- Nikhil Rajpal: DOGE coder assigned to multiple federal agencies including OPM and NOAA.
- Akash Bobba: Former Palantir intern; works at OPM and GSA.
Legal Team
- James Burnham: Conservative attorney overseeing DOGE’s legal operations.
- Jeremy Lewin: Harvard Law graduate; working in GSA, USAID, and CFPB.
- Jacob Altik: Clerked for Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch; legal counsel at OPM.
- Noah Peters: Labor and employment lawyer from Trump’s first administration; now at OPM.
- Austin Raynor: Former Justice Department attorney; clerked for Clarence Thomas; now at OPM.
Human Resources & Operations
- Brian Bjelde: Former SpaceX HR executive; helped execute layoffs at X; now at OPM.
- Kendall Lindemann: HR specialist linked to the US Digital Service.
- Stephanie Holmes: Opponent of DEI programs; handling federal workforce projects at DOGE.
- Christina Hanna: Ex-SpaceX HR manager; now at OPM.
- Stephen Duarte: Former SpaceX HR executive; working at OPM.
- Bryanne-Michelle Mlodzianowski: Ex-SpaceX HR executive; now at OPM.
- Justin Monroe: Security expert; formerly at SpaceX; now at OPM and FBI.
Government Policy & Administration
- Michael Russo: Ex-Starlink executive; now CIO at Social Security Administration.
- Frank Schuler: Real estate executive with an email linked to the GSA.
- Nicole Hollander: Former Twitter aide; managing federal buildings at GSA.
- Joanna Wischer: Ex-Trump campaign policy analyst.
- Leland Dudek: Acting commissioner of the Social Security Administration.
- Stephen Ehikian: AI entrepreneur; now administrator of GSA.
- Thomas Shedd: Ex-Tesla engineer; now tech director at GSA.
Key allies & advisers
- Michael Grimes: Morgan Stanley banker; now an adviser at the Commerce Department.
- Russell Vought: Former OMB director; helped Musk navigate federal budgeting.
- Joe Gebbia: Airbnb co-founder; DOGE supporter; involved in undisclosed capacity.
- Scott Kupor: Andreessen Horowitz partner; nominated to lead OPM.
- Antonio Gracias: Early Musk investor; funder of pro-Trump PAC; key DOGE ally.
- Baris Akis: Turkish-born recruiter who helped bring engineers into the government.
Musk’s influence through DOGE has led to sweeping changes in agency staffing, HR policies, and budget structures, often with parallels to his private sector management style. Critics warn that such concentrated influence could compromise regulatory independence, while supporters argue it brings efficiency and innovation to a slow-moving bureaucracy.
Full list of DOGE members:
- Elon Musk: Senior adviser to the president: Musk launched the DOGE operation before Trump’s inauguration and continues to oversee it from an advisory role in the White House. As the world’s richest man, he applies his cost-cutting strategies to government operations. Company involvement: X, SpaceX, Starlink, The Boring Company, xAI, Tesla, Neuralink
- Steve Davis: A DOGE leader: A close aide of Musk for two decades, Davis effectively leads DOGE. He has been working closely with Musk for the past three months. Agency involvement: Office of Personnel Management, General Services Administration Company involvement: X, SpaceX, The Boring Company
- Brad Smith: A DOGE leader, health care entrepreneur Smith co-led DOGE with Steve Davis and served as its chief of staff during the presidential transition. He has also handled several health-related roles for Trump.
- Amy Gleason: Acting administrator: Gleason worked at the United States Digital Service in the first Trump administration. After collaborating with Brad Smith at a health-focused investment firm, she returned to the U.S.D.S. and now leads DOGE. Agency involvement: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, United States Digital Service
- Chris Young: Musk’s top political adviser A top Republican field operative, Young ran Musk’s Super PAC before joining DOGE to manage operations. Agency involvement: Office of Personnel Management, Consumer Financial Protection Bureau
- Amanda Scales: Chief of staff, Office of Personnel Management A former employee at Musk’s AI company, Scales now plays a senior role in government hiring at the Office of Personnel Management. Agency involvement: Office of Personnel Management Company involvement: xAI
- Katie Miller: Senior adviser A longtime aide to Trump, Miller serves as a senior adviser to DOGE. Trump has praised her as a skilled communications professional.
- Riccardo Biasini: Top aide to Musk Biasini has worked across multiple Musk-led companies before joining the government initiative. He remains an executive at The Boring Company. Agency involvement: Office of Personnel Management Company involvement: X, The Boring Company
- Anthony Armstrong: Senior adviser, Office of Personnel Management A former Morgan Stanley banker, Armstrong was involved in Musk’s Twitter acquisition and now advises the Office of Personnel Management. Agency involvement: Office of Personnel Management Company involvement: X
- Jennifer Balajadia: Musk’s assistant Musk’s longtime assistant, Balajadia, has access to multiple federal agencies, reflecting her broad role in the government bureaucracy. Agency involvement: Department of Education Company involvement: The Boring Company
- Adam Ramada: DOGE liaison, Education and Labor Departments With a background in finance start-ups, Ramada serves as a bridge between Musk’s engineers and political appointees in key departments. Agency involvement: General Services Administration, Department of Education, Department of Labor
- Brooks Morgan: Education start-up executive Morgan, with extensive experience in education start-ups, is focused on workforce planning and budget allocation at the Education Department. Agency involvement: Department of Education
- Tarak Makecha: Finance executive Before joining DOGE, Makecha worked at a drone detection software company and collaborated with the State Department on foreign aid. Agency involvement: State Department Company involvement: Tesla
- Scott Langmack: DOGE liaison, Housing and Urban Development A businessman with expertise in real estate technology, Langmack works within the Housing and Urban Development Department. Agency involvement: Department of Housing and Urban Development
- Rachel Riley: Adviser, Health and Human Services A former McKinsey consultant, Riley works closely with Brad Smith on health policy at the Department of Health and Human Services. Agency involvement: Department of Health and Human Services
- Tom Krause: Senior Treasury official Krause leads DOGE’s review of the Treasury Department’s payment systems and has been appointed to oversee national fiscal operations. Agency involvement: Treasury Department
- Marko Elez: Software engineer A former X employee, Elez was briefly dismissed from DOGE due to racist social media posts but was reinstated after Vice President JD Vance’s intervention. Agency involvement: Treasury Department Company involvement: X, SpaceX, xAI
- Ryan Wunderly: Special adviser, Treasury Department Wunderly replaced Marko Elez at the Treasury Department, gaining read-only access to its payment syste Agency involvement: Treasury Department
- Edward Coristine: Software engineer The youngest DOGE staffer, Coristine interned at Neuralink and was previously dismissed from a tech firm for leaking information. Agency involvement: General Services Administration, USAID, Department of Education Company involvement: Neuralink
- Luke Farritor: Software engineer A prize-winning computer scientist, Farritor has worked across multiple federal agencies, conducting interviews with tech staff. Agency involvement: Multiple departments, including General Services Administration and Department of Health and Human Services Company involvement: SpaceX
- Christopher Stanley: Software engineer Formerly with SpaceX and X, Stanley was involved in efforts to release Jan. 6 prisoners. Agency involvement: Office of Personnel Management, Department of Justice Company involvement: X, SpaceX
- Ethan Shaotran: Software engineer A young coder and AI start-up founder funded by OpenAI, Shaotran has been placed in various government departments. Agency involvement: General Services Administration, Department of Education
- Alexandra Beynon: Software engineer Beynon, a former head of engineering at a ketamine therapy company, joined the U.S. Digital Service just before Trump’s inauguration. Agency involvement: Department of Education
- Gavin Kliger: Software engineer With no prior government experience, Kliger has become one of Musk’s most aggressive operatives. He has clashed with security officials at USAID and sought access to sensitive taxpayer data at the IRS. Agency involvement: Office of Personnel Management, USAID, Internal Revenue Service
- Jordan Wick: Software engineer A former Waymo engineer, Wick co-founded a hackathon focused on developing AI software for government infrastructure. Agency involvement: Consumer Financial Protection Bureau
- Cole Killian: Software engineer Killian, part of DOGE’s young coder group, has been assigned as a detailee at the Environmental Protection Agency on a temporary basis. Agency involvement: Environmental Protection Agency
- Greg Hogan: Software engineer With expertise in AI and software engineering, Hogan has taken over the technology office at the Office of Personnel Management. Agency involvement: Office of Personnel Management
- Ryan Riedel: Network security engineer A former SpaceX engineer and military IT specialist, Riedel is now the chief information officer at the Department of Energy. Agency involvement: Department of Energy Company involvement: SpaceX
- Nikhil Rajpal: Software engineer Rajpal is among DOGE’s young coders placed in federal agencies to execute Musk’s directives. Agency involvement: Office of Personnel Management, NOAA, Consumer Financial Protection Bureau
- Akash Bobba: Software engineer A former Palantir intern, Bobba is one of the young coders assigned to key government technology offices. Agency involvement: Office of Personnel Management, General Services Administration
- James Burnham: DOGE’s top lawyer A well-known conservative attorney, Burnham oversees all legal work for the DOGE team.
- Brian Bjelde: Top aide to Musk An early SpaceX executive and former HR head at X, Bjelde played a key role in mass layoffs at Musk’s companies. He now holds a key position at the Office of Personnel Management. Agency involvement: Office of Personnel Management Company involvement: X, SpaceX
- Kendall Lindemann: Human resources staffer A close associate of Brad Smith and Amy Gleason, Lindemann now handles HR and operations for the DOGE team. Agency involvement: United States Digital Service
- Stephanie Holmes: Human resources staffer, Office of Personnel Management A consultant critical of corporate diversity, equity, and inclusion programs, Holmes has joined DOGE and is working on federal workforce projects. Agency involvement: Office of Personnel Management
- Christina Hanna – Human Resources Staffer Hanna worked at SpaceX and is a former HR manager for Musk. She now works at the Office of Personnel Management. Agency involvement: Office of Personnel Management Company involvement: SpaceX
- Stephen Duarte – Human Resources Staffer Duarte worked at SpaceX and is a former HR manager for Musk. He now works at the Office of Personnel Management. Agency involvement: Office of Personnel Management Company involvement: SpaceX
- Jeremy Lewin – Lawyer A Harvard Law graduate, Lewin has been part of DOGE teams in several federal agencies, including USAID and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Agency involvement: General Services Administration, USAID, Consumer Financial Protection Bureau
- Jacob Altik – Lawyer Altik clerked for Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch and focused on litigating complex business disputes. Agency involvement: Office of Personnel Management
- Noah Peters – Lawyer Peters served in the first Trump administration and specializes in labor and employment issues. He now works at the Office of Personnel Management. Agency involvement: Office of Personnel Management
- Michael Russo – Chief Information Officer Before joining the Social Security Administration, Russo was an executive at a tech company that processes payments for Starlink. Agency involvement: Social Security Administration Company involvement: Starlink
- Frank Schuler – Real Estate Executive A partner in a real estate investment firm, Schuler has an email address at the General Services Administration.
- Nicole Hollander – Real Estate Manager With a background in real estate management, Hollander previously aided Musk after he bought Twitter and now assesses federal buildings and leases. Agency involvement: General Services Administration Company involvement: X
- Russell Vought – Director, Office of Management and Budget Vought worked with Musk before the inauguration, guiding him through budgeting and federal government operations. Agency involvement: Office of Management and Budget
- Scott Kupor – Venture Capitalist A managing partner at Andreessen Horowitz, Kupor has been nominated to run the Office of Personnel Management. Agency involvement: Office of Personnel Management
- Thomas Shedd – Technology Director A former Tesla engineer, Shedd leads the tech arm of the General Services Administration. He has faced employee pushback for demanding extensive data access. Agency involvement: General Services Administration Company involvement: Tesla
- Leland Dudek – Acting Commissioner A mid-level manager at the Social Security Administration, Dudek was suddenly elevated to acting commissioner in February. Agency involvement: Social Security Administration
- Antonio Gracias – Outside Adviser A longtime friend of Musk, Gracias was an early investor in SpaceX and Tesla and helped fund a pro-Trump super PAC. Company involvement: SpaceX, Tesla
- Baris Akis – Recruiter Born in Turkey and not a US citizen, Akis played a key role in the transition, recruiting engineering talent. Agency involvement: Office of Personnel Management, Treasury Department, Internal Revenue Service
