You've probably seen the memes. The Shiba Inu face plastered over government seals, the cryptic tweets from Elon Musk about "the chainsaw," and Vivek Ramaswamy talking about "slashing" things. But behind the internet jokes and the high-profile press releases, there’s a real group of people actually doing the work. People are constantly asking: who are doge employees? Are they just a bunch of Silicon Valley bros in hoodies, or is there a more structured machine behind the Department of Government Efficiency?
Honestly, it’s a bit of both.
The structure of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) is weird because it isn't technically a "department" in the way the Department of Education or Labor is. It's a hybrid. Part advisory board, part elite tech task force. It was built to move fast and break things—government things.
The Inner Circle: The Names You Should Know
At the top, we all know Musk and Ramaswamy. They’re the faces. But they aren't the ones digging through Excel sheets at 3:00 AM. That work falls to a core group of lieutenants. Many of these individuals are "Special Government Employees" (SGEs). This is a specific legal loophole that lets them work for the government for up to 130 days without having to sell off all their stocks or quit their day jobs at places like SpaceX or Tesla.
One of the most powerful names you’ve likely never heard is Steve Davis.
He’s the president of The Boring Company and a long-time Musk fixer. If you want to know who is actually running the day-to-day operations, it's him. He’s been seen at the GSA headquarters, essentially acting as the "chief of staff" for the entire efficiency project. Then there’s James Burnham, a former Trump administration lawyer who knows where the legal bodies are buried. He provides the "how" when the tech guys say they want to fire 50% of an agency.
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Other key figures include:
- Amanda Scales: She stepped in as Chief of Staff at the Office of Personnel Management (OPM). Think of her as the gatekeeper for the federal workforce data.
- Brad Smith: A healthcare executive who helped bridge the gap between the private sector and the federal transition.
- Katie Miller: The spokesperson. You might recognize her from the first Trump administration; she’s the one handling the PR "firehose."
The Foot Soldiers: Young Coders and "Hardcore" Engineers
The "who" behind the doge employees isn't just corporate suits. It’s actually a lot of kids. Seriously.
Musk famously called for "super high-IQ small-government revolutionaries" to join the team. What he got was a mix of young software engineers and recent grads, many in their early 20s. Reporters have found 19-year-olds like Edward Coristine and 20-somethings like Marko Elez with "write access" to sensitive Treasury systems. It’s a bit wild when you think about it. These are people who, in any other administration, would be lucky to get an internship. Now, they're looking for ways to automate the IRS.
They aren't working 9-to-5. Musk has been very public about wanting "80+ hour work weeks." Some of these staffers have reportedly been sleeping in government buildings, much like they did at Twitter (now X) during the takeover.
Where do they come from?
- SpaceX & Tesla: Many are on "loan" from Musk’s own companies.
- Palantir: There is a huge crossover with Peter Thiel’s network. People like Greg Barbaccia and George Cooper have deep ties here.
- Conservative Law Circles: Groups like the Federalist Society have provided the legal muscle to ensure these "efficiency" moves don't get tied up in court for a decade.
The "DOGE Teams" Inside Agencies
This is where it gets interesting for the average federal worker. DOGE doesn't just sit in a fancy office in D.C.
They use a "strike team" model. According to Executive Order 14158, every major agency is required to have a "DOGE Team."
These teams usually consist of four specific roles:
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- A Team Lead (the one calling the shots).
- An Engineer (to look at the software and IT waste).
- An HR Specialist (to handle the "reductions in force," which is a fancy way of saying layoffs).
- An Attorney (to make sure the HR guy doesn't get sued immediately).
These teams have been embedded in everything from the Social Security Administration to the Department of Education. They aren't there to make friends. They’re there to audit.
Is DOGE Even Still a Thing?
There has been a lot of confusion recently about whether DOGE is still "active."
In late 2025, some officials claimed the department "doesn't exist" anymore as a centralized unit. But that's a bit of a word game. While Elon Musk officially stepped back from his "Special Government Employee" role in May 2025, the work didn't stop.
The U.S. Digital Service (USDS) was basically rebranded and eaten by DOGE. So, while the "celebrity leadership" might be less visible, the "principles" are baked into the agencies. The charter for DOGE actually has an expiration date: July 4, 2026. The goal is to finish the "Manhattan Project of government" by the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence.
How People Actually Get Hired
If you’re looking to join the ranks of doge employees, don't look on USAJOBS.gov. You won't find it there.
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They use a site called join.doge.gov or, more commonly, they recruit directly through DMs on X. The application process is brutal. They don't want a 10-page CV. They want a two-page resume and a list of "exceptional achievements."
It's a high-churn environment. If you aren't producing "ROI" (Return on Investment) for the taxpayer within a few weeks, you're out. It’s a private-sector mentality forced into a public-sector world.
Actionable Insights for Navigating the DOGE Era
Whether you're a federal contractor, an employee, or just a curious taxpayer, the reality of who these people are matters. They aren't traditional bureaucrats.
- Audit your own "waste": If you are a federal contractor, expect your "receipts" to be scrutinized. These employees are looking for contracts that haven't been re-bid in years.
- Focus on Technical Literacy: The common thread among DOGE staffers is data. If you can't explain your job or your project in terms of data and efficiency, you're a target for their "chainsaw."
- Watch the July 2026 Deadline: This is the "burn-down" date. Expect the pace of "efficiency" moves to accelerate as that date approaches.
The experiment is controversial, sure. Some see it as a necessary pruning of a bloated tree; others see it as a dangerous dismantling of the state. But one thing is certain: the people behind it aren't who you’d expect to see in a government office. They are young, tech-obsessed, and moving at a speed the federal government has never seen before.
If you want to keep up with who is being added to the team or which agencies are next on the list, monitoring the official USDS updates and the @DOGE account on X remains the most direct way to see the roster in real-time.