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How Elon Musk & Peter Thiel-aligned inexperienced tech bros took over the federal government

Musk Trump protest cut funding USAID
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Employees and supporters gather to protest outside of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) headquarters on February 03, 2025 in Washington, DC. Elon Musk, tech billionaire and head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), said in a social media post that he and U.S. President Donald Trump will shut down the foreign assistance agency.

They now have access to your private information and other sensitive U.S. data.

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The United States federal government has been infiltrated by a group of young, unvetted technology engineers handpicked by Tesla CEO Elon Musk and aligned with gay billionaire venture capitalist Peter Thiel — and they now control access to some of the most sensitive U.S. government data.

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What started as a bureaucratic executive order from President Donald Trump to “modernize” government technology has turned into a full-scale takeover of federal agencies, allowing Musk’s recruits to bypass traditional hiring and security clearance processes, the Associated Press reports. These private-sector operatives, some barely out of college, now have direct access to U.S. Treasury payment systems, classified intelligence at the U.S. Agency for International Development, and personnel files at the Office of Personnel Management, Wired reports.

According to the publication, Musk has placed his own people inside the government under the guise of efficiency. These private-sector operatives, all between the ages of 19 and 24, have been put into powerful government positions despite their lack of experience. However, critics warn that this is a corporate coup—a deliberate effort to replace public accountability with private control.

How did Musk’s tech bros take over federal agencies?

The takeover was made possible by Trump’s January 20 executive order, which renamed the U.S. Digital Service as the U.S. DOGE Service and embedded its teams inside nearly every central federal agency. While the White House framed it as a modernization effort, the order allowed Musk’s operatives to move in without congressional oversight.

The order required every agency to create a DOGE team, typically composed of an engineer, a human resources specialist, and an attorney, all of whom answer directly to the White House. According to Wired, this structure allowed Musk to install his hires in key agencies, bypassing security clearance and traditional government hiring procedures.

Among these operatives is Edward Coristine, 19, a freshman at Northeastern University who only recently graduated high school, Wired reports. Despite his lack of experience, Coristine has already been attending high-level meetings at the General Services Administration, where longtime federal employees were required to justify their work to him.

Who are the young Musk engineers infiltrating the government?

The young engineers embedded in federal agencies through DOGE are largely inexperienced but ideologically aligned with Musk and Thiel, Wired reports. According to the publication, they have been granted access to government records, personnel systems, and even classified intelligence despite lacking public service or federal security credentials.

Among them is Edward Coristine, 19, a freshman at Northeastern University who was interning at Musk’s Neuralink last summer. Despite his lack of experience, he has attended high-level meetings at the General Services Administration, where career government employees have been forced to justify their jobs to him.

Akash Bobba, 22, formerly worked at Thiel’s Palantir and Meta before landing inside the Office of Personnel Management. His new role influences federal hiring despite having no prior government background.

Luke Farritor, 21, a former SpaceX intern, dropped out of the University of Nebraska after receiving a Thiel Fellowship and now holds a government email within the GSA, Wired reports. Like his peers, his appointment raises serious concerns about how Musk’s ideological allies have bypassed traditional hiring and security protocols.

Others include Gautier Cole Killian, 24, an ex-Jump Trading engineer with no prior government experience; Gavin Kliger, 23, a former AI engineer at Databricks who has written in favor of deregulation; and Ethan Shaotran, 22, a Harvard senior and OpenAI-backed entrepreneur who now has access to federal IT systems, the outlet reports.

How did Musk’s operatives gain access to U.S. Treasury and classified intelligence?

With DOGE teams now embedded across the federal government, Musk’s operatives have access to some of the most sensitive financial and security data in the U.S., according to the AP. The most alarming breach has been at the U.S. Treasury, where DOGE personnel now have access to financial systems that process Social Security, Medicare, and other federal payments, the AP reports. While officials insist their access is “read-only,” it still allows Musk’s team to monitor and analyze federal government transactions in real time, something no private citizen has ever been allowed to do.

The situation at USAID is even more concerning. According to the AP, DOGE operatives attempted to access classified intelligence but were blocked by agency security officials who determined they lacked the necessary clearance. When those officials refused to grant them access, they were placed on leave, clearing the way for DOGE to gain entry, AP reports.

Musk wasted no time in declaring victory. During a live discussion on X Spaces, he announced that Trump had agreed to shut down USAID entirely, calling it “a ball of worms” that was “beyond repair.” Within hours, the USAID website disappeared from the internet, and employees were told to stay out of headquarters on Monday.

What role does Peter Thiel play in this?

Thiel, a longtime Musk ally, has spent years trying to dismantle government agencies and shift their functions into private hands. His company, Palantir, has been one of the biggest private-sector recipients of government contracts, handling data surveillance and intelligence operations for the federal government.

According to Wired, some operatives now embedded in DOGE are directly connected to Thiel’s network. His Thiel Fellowship has been instrumental in recruiting ideological foot soldiers for this takeover, encouraging them to forgo traditional education in favor of libertarian, anti-government ventures. Now, they are in positions where they can shape government policy from within.

How does this threaten democracy?

The situation isn’t just another case of regulatory capture—this is a “hostile takeover” of the federal government by “the richest man in the world,” Don Moynihan, a professor of public policy at the University of Michigan, told Wired.

Under normal circumstances, corporations influence government policy from the outside through lobbying and campaign donations. This is different. Musk and his allies aren’t just influencing the government—they are running it from the inside, with no public accountability, the site notes.

USAID, which provides humanitarian aid to vulnerable communities worldwide, is now being dismantled. Traditionally protected from political interference, Federal hiring is now being influenced by Musk’s DOGE officials at OPM. The Treasury’s financial systems, responsible for distributing trillions in government payments, are now accessible to unelected tech engineers.

Can DOGE be stopped?

There are no clear plans to stop Musk’s takeover. Congressional oversight is limited because Trump’s executive order placed DOGE directly under the White House. Many officials who would typically resist Musk’s interference have already been removed or replaced by DOGE-aligned figures.

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Christopher Wiggins

Christopher Wiggins is a senior national reporter for The Advocate. He has a rich career in storytelling and highlighting underrepresented voices. Growing up in a bilingual household in Germany, his German mother and U.S. Army father exposed him to diverse cultures early on, influencing his appreciation for varied perspectives and communication. His work in Washington, D.C., primarily covers the nexus of public policy, politics, law, and LGBTQ+ issues. Wiggins' reporting focuses on revealing lesser-known stories within the LGBTQ+ community. Key moments in his career include traveling with Vice President Kamala Harris and interviewing her in the West Wing about LGBTQ+ support. In addition to his national and political reporting, Wiggins represents The Advocate in the White House Press Pool and is a member of several professional journalistic organizations, including the White House Correspondents’ Association, Association of LGBTQ+ Journalists, and Society of Professional Journalists. His involvement in these groups highlights his commitment to ethical journalism and excellence in the field. Follow him on X/Twitter @CWNewser (https://twitter.com/CWNewser) and Threads @CWNewserDC (https://www.threads.net/@cwnewserdc).
Christopher Wiggins is a senior national reporter for The Advocate. He has a rich career in storytelling and highlighting underrepresented voices. Growing up in a bilingual household in Germany, his German mother and U.S. Army father exposed him to diverse cultures early on, influencing his appreciation for varied perspectives and communication. His work in Washington, D.C., primarily covers the nexus of public policy, politics, law, and LGBTQ+ issues. Wiggins' reporting focuses on revealing lesser-known stories within the LGBTQ+ community. Key moments in his career include traveling with Vice President Kamala Harris and interviewing her in the West Wing about LGBTQ+ support. In addition to his national and political reporting, Wiggins represents The Advocate in the White House Press Pool and is a member of several professional journalistic organizations, including the White House Correspondents’ Association, Association of LGBTQ+ Journalists, and Society of Professional Journalists. His involvement in these groups highlights his commitment to ethical journalism and excellence in the field. Follow him on X/Twitter @CWNewser (https://twitter.com/CWNewser) and Threads @CWNewserDC (https://www.threads.net/@cwnewserdc).