Tesla chief Elon Musk headed the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) has hired a team of six young engineers, some barely out of college, Wired reported on Monday. The team, aged between 19 and 24, includes Edward Coristine, Luke Farritor, Gautier Cole Killian, Gavin Kliger, and Ethan Shaotran. Some are fresh out of college, while one is reportedly still a student. Among them is also Indian-origin Akash Bobba.
These engineers now hold key positions within agencies like the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) and the General Services Administration (GSA), with access to sensitive government data. The lack of experience in government affairs, combined with their roles overseeing crucial data, has sparked concerns among critics.
Who is Akash Bobba?
Akash Bobba attended the University of California, Berkeley, where he was part of the Management, Entrepreneurship, and Technology (MET) programme, designed for future tech industry leaders, according to his now-deleted LinkedIn account.
Before joining DOGE, the 22-year-old interned at Meta, Palantir, and the hedge fund Bridgewater Associates, working in AI, data analytics, and financial modelling.
His genius in coding gained viral attention after a Berkeley classmate shared an anecdote about his problem-solving abilities. "During a project at Berkeley, I accidentally deleted our entire codebase 2 days before the deadline," the classmate wrote in an X post. "I panicked. Akash just stared at the screen, shrugged, and rewrote everything from scratch in one night - better than before. We submitted early and got first in the class," he wrote, adding, "I trust him with everything I own."
Mr Bobba is now listed as an "expert" at the OPM, reporting directly to Amanda Scales, DOGE's new chief of staff and a former talent acquisition lead at xAI and Uber.
Akash Bobba reportedly has an active GSA email and A-suite level clearance, giving him access to all physical spaces and IT systems at the GSA, according to Wired. Sources have raised concerns that these hires may have bypassed regular security clearance protocols.
DOGE, under Elon Musk's leadership, aims to streamline government operations through technology and automation.
