A Cult of Inexperience and Ideological Purity is Upending Federal Governance

In a stunning reshaping of government operations, Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) has rapidly installed a cohort of young engineers—some as young as 19—into senior federal positions. Their mission? Slash bureaucracy. Modernize government. Disrupt the status quo.

The reality? A chaotic dismantling of essential public institutions—led by kids who barely understand how government works.

Handpicked for their Muskian zeal rather than experience, these engineers are making high-stakes decisions that affect national security, financial systems, and federal hiring. They’ve been granted access to classified data, Treasury payment infrastructure, and internal federal networks—without proper clearances or oversight.

“These kids have zero understanding of how government actually functions. It’s one thing to design a rocket; it’s another to safeguard the integrity of federal institutions.” — Senior Federal Employee, WIRED

This isn’t “efficiency.” It’s a hostile takeover.

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Meet Musk’s Baby-Faced Bureaucrats

Six young men, none older than 25, are now running key components of the U.S. government:

• Akash Bobba (22): Former Palantir intern. Now an "expert" at OPM, despite zero public service experience.

• Edward Coristine (19): Still in college at Northeastern. Yet participating in GSA code reviews—without a government email.

• Luke Farritor (21): SpaceX intern turned Thiel Fellow. Has a GSA email and high-level access—despite dropping out of college.

• Gautier Cole Killian (24): Former engineer at Jump Trading. Currently listed as a volunteer at DOGE.

• Gavin Kliger (25): AI engineer turned “special adviser” at OPM. Wrote blog posts attacking the “deep state.”

• Ethan Shaotran (22): Harvard senior, AI entrepreneur. Now holds A-suite clearance at GSA, giving him access to federal IT systems.

These aren’t public servants. They’re Musk’s ideological foot soldiers, parachuted into agencies they barely understand.

“To the extent these individuals are exercising what would otherwise be significant managerial control over two very large agencies … it is very unlikely they have the expertise to understand either the law or the administrative needs that surround these agencies.” — Nick Bednar, University of Minnesota School of Law (WIRED)

And it gets worse.

They Have Access to Sensitive Government Systems

DOGE’s young recruits aren’t just sitting in meetings—they’re modifying the government’s most critical infrastructure.

• Treasury Department Payment Systems Compromised

  • Techdirt revealed that Marko Elez (25), a former SpaceX engineer, has been pushing untested code directly into the U.S. Treasury’s payment infrastructure.

  • Internal emails show federal employees were pressured to assist him—just to prevent a catastrophic crash.

• USAID Security Breach

  • NBC News reported that DOGE engineers attempted unauthorized access to classified USAID systems.

  • When security officials refused to grant them access, those officials were suspended.

• General Services Administration (GSA) Takeover

  • The Independent found that Coristine, a 19-year-old college student, was actively reviewing federal procurement code—despite having no formal role, no clearance, and no government email.

• OPM—the Government’s HR Department—Has Been Hollowed Out

  • Futurism reports that DOGE has gutted the leadership of OPM, replacing career officials with Musk’s recruits.

  • This agency oversees security clearances, federal hiring, and the personnel records of millions of government employees—and now, it’s run by a team of twentysomething tech bros.

“What we're seeing is unprecedented. These actors are not really public officials, yet they have access to the most sensitive data in government. Congress has no ability to intervene. This feels like a hostile takeover.” — Don Moynihan, University of Michigan (WIRED)

This is not reform. This is a national security crisis.

Trump Shrugs: “They’re Very Smart”

As concerns mount, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer has called DOGE’s activities a “hostile takeover of federal operations.”

Even Trump’s own officials blocked Musk from hiring a non-U.S. citizen for DOGE—citing national security risks (The Independent).

But Trump himself? He’s fully on board.

When pressed on DOGE’s unchecked power, Trump told Fox News:

“They’re very smart, though, Peter. They’re like you. They’re very smart people.”

Yes, because hiring a 19-year-old intern to rewrite the U.S. government’s payroll systems is totally normal.

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