Elon Musk has, over the course of two decades, cultivated an extensive universe of ventures acting as training grounds for top engineering talent and providing the backbone to his tight-knit inner circle. This expansive network, populated by veterans of Tesla and SpaceX, influential figures drawn from Silicon Valley, and ambitious young software engineers, has recently intertwined itself with the operations of the U.S. federal government.
At the core of these connections is the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), established under an executive order from President Donald Trump with Musk named as an unpaid “special government employee.” DOGE, whose declared mission revolves around streamlining government operations and eliminating bureaucratic inefficiency, has profoundly altered the landscape of interactions between private tech talent and public administration.
Musk’s ability to recruit exceptional individuals and bind them to a variety of bold missions—encompassing sustainable energy, space exploration, urban transportation, and internet privacy—is a hallmark of his broad leadership style. A fundamental part of this recruitment strategy, according to former colleagues, is Musk’s persistent framing of efforts as an “us-versus-them” endeavor, placing his initiatives in opposition to established obstacles such as regulators, traditional industries, or media scrutiny. Within DOGE, that overarching narrative now positions bureaucracy itself as the new adversary.
At Musk’s side stands a group of senior trusted individuals such as Steve Davis, who first joined SpaceX in its early days and went on to lead The Boring Company, and who helped Musk diminish costs and personnel at both Twitter and now within federal agencies. Also near Musk’s orbit is Nicole Hollander, whose tenure at Twitter drew public attention and who now reportedly holds significant influence within the General Services Administration (GSA), and Brian Bjelde, a long-time SpaceX fixture who transitioned to a senior advisory position at the Office of Personnel Management (OPM). Amanda Scales, previously at Musk’s xAI, also plays a chief-of-staff role within OPM.
Other senior figures include Jehn Balajadia, Musk’s long-time assistant who now holds a position within the Education Department; Riccardo Biasini, with notable experience at Tesla, Comma.ai, and The Boring Company, advising at OPM; and Michael Russo, whose connections with Oracle and Shift4 facilitated his quick ascension and subsequent advisory capacities within Social Security Administration. Branden Spikes, a Musk associate since the PayPal era, previously helped lead DOGE’s IT operations.
Meanwhile, in what has attracted scrutiny from both watchdog groups and congressional committees, Musk has bolstered DOGE by installing notably younger, handpicked technologists with extensive data access to vital federal systems. Among these are Edward Coristine, a 19-year-old former intern at Neuralink, who gained unprecedented federal access across multiple U.S. government departments, and Akash Bobba, a young Berkeley student working directly under senior staff at OPM and Social Security Administration.
Further concerning some watchdog observers is special government employee Marko Elez, a former SpaceX technician who briefly resigned following revelations of inappropriate social media posts, only to be reinstated following a Musk-initiated public poll. Elez has extensive access to the U.S. Treasury’s critical payment systems, potentially overseeing trillions of dollars in government funds.
Senior advisors Luke Farritor, a young Nebraska-based innovator known previously for decoding ancient scrolls; Tom Krause, an executive of Cloud Software Group concurrently helping shape DOGE’s Treasury agenda; and Christopher Stanley, who played an influential role in Twitter’s Musk takeover and subsequent federal assignments, highlight the fusion of high-tech expertise with policymaking.
Additionally, a team including Gautier “Cole” Killian, Jeremy Lewin, Aram Moghaddassi, Ethan Shaotran, and Thomas Shedd—all gifted technologists—have been designated by DOGE to carry out critical projects within federal institutions including EPA, Labor, Education, and FEMA, imbuing these departments with a markedly Silicon Valley-style managerial ethos.
At a higher strategic level, influential individuals like famed venture capitalist Marc Andreessen, former White House CTO Michael Kratsios, Loom founder Vinay Hiremath, Palantir engineer George Cooper, and advisor Anthony Jancso play unofficial yet crucial roles sourcing new talent and strategy to complement Musk’s vision.
Given Musk’s intermittent assertions of stepping back to refocus on his private enterprises, notably Tesla, questions remain about the precise ongoing involvement he will maintain in DOGE. However, the White House continues to emphasize Musk’s key role, reflecting continued alignment at the highest political levels.
DOGE has faced considerable controversy: massive layoffs, departures at critical cybersecurity departments, and unprecedented technological interventions at multiple agencies have caused security experts and government veterans significant concern. In response, the Trump administration vigorously maintains their stance that DOGE carries out an important electoral mandate endorsed by millions of citizens, calling contested staff appointments and radical organizational reform a necessary disruption.
As DOGE continues reshaping the way the U.S. federal government operates, Musk’s expansive personnel network—and its relentless fusion of technology, privatization philosophy, and government reform—reflects a radical, unparalleled experiment in governing, positioning a small cohort of chosen technologists at the very heart of American bureaucracy.
