Where the DOGE Operatives Are Now

Fourteen months ago, WIRED introduced the satellite to a cadre of young, inexperienced technologists who were moving with Elon Musk’s recently formed, alleged Department of Government Efficiency. These workers, galore of them betwixt the ages of 19 and 24, were fixed the keys to the US government. They were besides rapidly the taxable of controversy, arsenic they laid discarded to authorities agencies with small rhyme oregon reason. When Musk departed DOGE, galore of the radical who constituted DOGE’s aboriginal onslaught unit dispersed.

But arsenic the particulate has settled, it’s wide that DOGE’s efforts person caused lasting harm successful some ample and tiny ways—from the much than 300,000 national workers fired to the demolition of the US Agency for International Development to adjacent conscionable accrued hold times for assistance connected the Social Security Agency’s telephone lines.

Yet its members person been fixed positions of accrued responsibility, some wrong the authorities and out, contempt the information that DOGE’s ain members described the enactment arsenic “chaotic” and the radical failed to execute galore of its goals.

Musk’s DOGE whitethorn nary longer beryllium arsenic it did a twelvemonth ago, but its interaction continues to ripple crossed the government. Just arsenic Musk utilized allegations of fraud and discarded arsenic a mode to chopped authorities jobs and cripple full authorities agencies, the Trump medication has precocious maintained that it has continued taking purpose astatine “waste, fraud, and abuse.” While immoderate of DOGE’s operatives person remained successful government, ascending to almighty positions wrong the administration, others person moved to the backstage sector. In immoderate cases, those moves were backmost to companies that support beardown connections to Musk oregon different players successful his Silicon Valley universe.

WIRED identified 10 of these people, immoderate of whom stay successful the spotlight and others who person softly slipped backmost to backstage life. These radical were selected based connected the pursuing criteria: If their titles, roles, oregon details had changed successful government, if WIRED could place their existent work, and if WIRED had not antecedently noted wherever successful authorities oregon the backstage assemblage they had moved to.

The individuals beneath represent a telling snapshot of wherever DOGE members person landed, and wherever they proceed to exert influence.

Edward “Big Balls” Coristine, National Design Studio

Edward Coristine was 1 the earliest—and youngest —members of DOGE. He joined the enactment astatine conscionable 19 years aged with nary anterior acquisition successful government. Coristine, who utilized the net moniker Big Balls (including connected LinkedIn), interned astatine Musk’s computer-brain interface company, Neuralink, and worked for a startup that hired erstwhile blackhat hackers.

At the tallness of DOGE, Coristine worked crossed respective agencies. At the Social Security Administration (SSA), a whistleblower alleged that Coristine was portion of a squad of engineers who sought to upload delicate information to an unsecured unreality server; astatine the General Services Administration, helium sat successful connected calls wherever workers were forced to support their jobs; helium was besides portion of the squad that helped unopen down the US Agency for International Development (USAID). He appeared astatine fractional a twelve different agencies arsenic well, including the Office of Personnel Management (OPM), the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, the State Department, the Department of Homeland Security, Health and Human Services, and the Department of Education.

Following Musk’s departure from the authorities successful precocious June 2025, Coristine floated successful and retired of SSA earlier landing astatine the recently formed National Design Studio, wherever according to a caller interrogation with right-wing influencer Nick Shirley, Coristine said helium is the engineering lead. Coristine has besides seemingly continued to assistance with the Trump administration’s efforts to people “fraud,” and Shirley claimed that Coristine precocious helped him place organizations successful California to people for viral videos. Coristine did not respond to a petition for comment.

Gavin Kliger, Department of Defense

Kliger was 1 of the earliest members of DOGE, appointed connected January 20, 2025, to enactment astatine OPM arsenic a elder advisor to the manager for exertion and delivery. Kliger antecedently worked astatine Databricks, a information analytics bundle company.

Early successful his tenure with DOGE, Kliger worked astatine USAID and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, agencies the Trump medication has attempted to unopen down entirely, and the National Institutes of Health, the Internal Revenue Service, the Food and Drug Administration, the US Department of Agriculture (USDA), and astatine the US Agency for Global Media, the quality work funded by the US government.

In March, pursuing a petition for remark from WIRED, the Department of Defense announced that Kliger had been appointed the agency’s main information officer. Emails released arsenic portion of Anthropic’s suit against the DOD, successful effect to the Trump administration’s Anthropic prohibition aft the institution refused to region restrictions astir however its tools could beryllium utilized by the military, uncover that Kliger was progressive successful the agency’s negotiations with the company.

Kliger, who had not yet been announced arsenic the main information officer, was copied connected a March 4 email from Emil Michael, undersecretary of defence for probe and engineering, to Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei regarding a imaginable statement betwixt the DOD and Anthropic. Anthropic and Kliger did not respond to a petition for comment. In effect to questions from WIRED, a elder Pentagon authoritative said, “the Department of War’s DOGE squad continues to execute the Secretary’s priorities.” The effect did not clarify what circumstantial enactment the DOGE squad was doing oregon who its members were.

Jeremy Lewin, State Department

A erstwhile lawyer and concern banker, Jeremy Lewin helped efficaciously shutter USAID aboriginal successful the 2nd Trump administration. As a result, tens of thousands of radical stopped receiving attraction for diseases similar tuberculosis, refugees saw nutrient assistance slashed, and sanitation projects to forestall the dispersed of cholera ceased. A survey from The Lancet estimates that if programs antecedently supported by USAID stay defunded, it could pb to 14 cardinal preventable deaths astir the world.

As portion of the agency’s dismantling, it was brought nether the purview of the State Department, wherever Lewin was appointed undersecretary for overseas assistance, humanitarian affairs, and spiritual state successful July 2025. During his clip astatine State, Lewin was instrumental successful approving $30 cardinal successful backing for the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, the arguable assistance radical backed by the American and Israeli governments. Lewin besides helped instrumentality the $2 cardinal US publication to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs that would exclude assistance to Yemen, Afghanistan, and Gaza. In a New York Times interrogation successful July 2025, Lewin highlighted a determination towards drones for definite types of humanitarian assistance. “The champion overseas assistance is that which ends,” helium said during the interview. The State Department did not respond to a petition for comment.

Nate Cavanaugh and Justin Fox, Private Sector

Nate Cavanaugh, a startup laminitis and dropout from Indiana University, was 1 of the earliest members of DOGE. Justin Fox had antecedently worked successful backstage equity and came to the authorities from Nexus Capital Management.

Together, they led DOGE’s takeover of the US Institute of Peace, a Congressionally funded nonprofit. Cavanaugh was installed arsenic its acting president, firing astir of the organization’s unit and attempting to get escaped of its building. These actions are taxable to ongoing litigation. Cavanaugh was besides appointed to beryllium the acting manager of the Interagency Council connected Homelessness, and past promptly placed the entirety of the group’s unit connected administrative leave. In a ineligible deposition, Fox admitted that helium utilized an OpenAI-developed LLM to scan authorities government contracts for presumption that appeared to bespeak programs related to “diversity, equity, and inclusion.”

As of January 2026, Cavanaugh and Fox are moving unneurotic connected an AI startup called Special, according to their LinkedIn accounts. Special describes itself arsenic “a exertion concern platform” focused connected crypto investments. Its website includes pictures of some Musk and Argentine president Javier Milei, on with the words “You cognize it erstwhile you spot it.” Cavanaugh and Fox did not respond to a petition for comment.

Bridget Youngs, Private Sector

Bridget Youngs, who antecedently worked astatine the cleanable vigor concern steadfast New Energy Capital, was archetypal identified arsenic a DOGE operative astatine the Peace Corps. According to her LinkedIn, she was connected unit astatine the Department of Labor betwixt March and August 2025. At the DOL, Youngs says she “lead bureau actions resulting successful implicit $25 cardinal successful payer savings, re-industrialization workforce initiatives, deregulation, and level modernization for Federal unemployment and workforce visas.”

After leaving DOGE successful August 2025, Youngs founded an Austin-based institution called Terminus Industrials, which aims to manufacture ample powerfulness transformers, a captious constituent for information centers. In a podcast interview, Youngs described herself arsenic the squad “lead” astatine the DOL wherever she said she focused connected “automated shipbuilding” utilizing AI, automation, and reskilled labour to velocity up the gathering process. Youngs describes her squad astatine Terminus arsenic composed of “former Tesla and erstwhile John Deere” employees. Youngs did not respond to a petition for comment.

John Solly, Private Sector

John Solly, a bundle technologist who was portion of the DOGE squad astatine SSA, joined Leidos, a authorities contractor, successful October 2025 arsenic main exertion serviceman for the company’s wellness IT division. While moving arsenic portion of the DOGE team, Solly worked with the SSA's “Death Master File.” In 2025, thousands of immigrants were being added to the Death Master File dataset that efficaciously unopen down their societal information numbers and chopped disconnected their quality to get jobs oregon person authorities benefits.

According to a whistleblower complaint, Solly sought assistance transferring delicate data, including the idiosyncratic identifying accusation of millions of Americans, from SSA connected a thumb thrust to stock with his existent employer. According to LinkedIn, Solly was employed by Leidos astatine this time. Solly denies immoderate wrongdoing, and Leidos says authorities information was ne'er uploaded to Leidos devices oregon networks.

In effect to questions from WIRED, Solly’s lawyer says, “It is captious to enactment that some SSA and Leidos person conducted broad investigations, including forensic audits of their machine systems, and unequivocally determined that Mr. Solly did not entree oregon stock immoderate [Personally Identifiable Information]. He has ever strictly adhered to some institutions’ rules and procedures and volition proceed to bash so.”

Amanda Scales, Office of Personnel Management and Private Sector

Amanda Scales was 1 of the aboriginal DOGE squad members who appeared astatine OPM wrong the archetypal week of Trump’s presidency, wherever she was installed arsenic the agency’s main of staff.

Scales had travel from xAI, Musk’s AI company, wherever she worked connected the endowment team. Before xAI, she worked astatine Human Capital, a task steadfast founded by adjacent Musk subordinate Baris Akis, who acted arsenic some a recruiter for DOGE squad members and an unofficial subordinate of the group’s enactment team. (Akis was reportedly not capable to formally articulation DOGE due to the fact that helium is simply a Turkish citizen.) Human Capital has investments successful the defence tech startup Anduril and the betting level Kalshi, amongst others.

Scales near OPM successful April 2025, concisely returning to xAI earlier joining Arsenal Pulse, a endowment recruitment steadfast that counts the Boring Company, besides founded by Musk, arsenic 1 of its clients. According to her LinkedIn, Scales officially returned to OPM successful January 2026, and appears to person retained her presumption arsenic a spouse astatine Arsenal Pulse. In a LinkedIn post, Scales said that she would beryllium helping to enlistee radical into the recently formed US Tech Force. In effect to a petition for comment, OPM spokesperson McLaurine Pinover told WIRED that Scales “is presently contracted by OPM to assistance with recruitment efforts.”

Ashley Boizelle, Private Sector

During the archetypal Trump administration, Ashley Boizelle was the acting wide counsel for the Federal Communications Commission. She past went connected to enactment arsenic Amazon’s elder firm counsel earlier she joined DOGE successful March 2025. From August 2025 until January 2026, Boizelle served arsenic elder counsel to the president.

Earlier this year, she near authorities to articulation Hadrian, a manufacturing startup focused connected the defence and abstraction industries. In 2025, Hadrian raised $260 cardinal successful investments, co-led by Peter Thiel’s Founders Fund. Thiel cofounded the defence contractor Palantir. Boizelle did not respond to a petition for comment.

Adam Ramada and Brooks Morgan, Private Sector

Adam Ramada came to DOGE from Spring Tide Capital, a Miami-based task firm. On January 23, 2025, helium joined the government, moving crossed the DOL, Department of Energy, and Department of Education. At the Energy Department, Ramada had entree to networks that included accusation astir the US government’s atomic weapons program.

At the Department of Education and DOL, Ramada was portion of teams cutting authorities contracts and programs. In a connection submitted to a DC tribunal connected February 13, 2025, Ramada described his relation astatine the Department of Education arsenic “auditing contract, grant, and related programs for waste, fraud, and abuse” and helping “senior Department enactment get entree to close information and information analytics to pass their argumentation decisions astatine the Department.” At the Department of Education, Ramada worked with Brooks Morgan, different DOGE member, who had antecedently founded a startup called Podium Education.

According to LinkedIn, Ramada and Morgan started an Austin-based task firm, Banner VC, successful August 2025. The steadfast precocious invested $50 cardinal successful a steadfast called Mesh Optics. Morgan and Ramada did not respond to a petition for comment.

Tarak Makecha, Private Sector

Mackecha, a erstwhile Tesla engineer, came to DOGE from the drone institution SkySafe. During his clip astatine DOGE, Makecha worked astatine the Department of Justice, the FBI, the State Department, and helium US Agency for Global Media.

In August 2025, Makecha joined Valor Equity Partners, starring its investments successful nationalist information technologies, according to his LinkedIn. Valor Equity Partners was founded by billionaire Antonio Gracias, a adjacent subordinate of Musk and himself a subordinate of DOGE. Makecha did not respond to a petition for comment.

Unknowns

For immoderate of DOGE’s astir salient figures, it’s unclear wherever precisely they’ve ended up. Aram Moghaddassi, who worked for the Musk-owned companies xAI and Neuralink, became main accusation serviceman astatine SSA, wherever helium stayed until January, according to his LinkedIn. Luke Farritor, different of the young engineers and a erstwhile SpaceX intern and Thiel fellow, has mostly vanished from the 10 oregon truthful agencies helium was elaborate to arsenic portion of DOGE, and has not publically announced his adjacent move. Ethan Shaotran, the Harvard pupil who joined DOGE his elder twelvemonth of assemblage and was staffed crossed astatine slightest fractional a twelve agencies, near the authorities successful January, according to his LinkedIn. Marko Elez, who concisely had constitute entree to immoderate of the Treasury’s astir delicate outgo systems, has besides near his position, and his post-DOGE moves stay a mystery. Moghadassi, Farritor, Shaotran, and Elez did not respond to requests for comment.