Who's Akash Bobba, 22-year-old Indian-origin engineer joining Musk-led DOGE
What's the story
Akash Bobba, a 22-year-old Indian-origin engineer, has been chosen to be part of Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), WIRED reported. He is among the six young engineers, all aged between 19 and 24, whom DOGE recently hired, despite their limited experience in government affairs. The recruits have been given access to sensitive government systems, raising concerns about national security implications due to their inexperience. Most of them reportedly have connections to Musk and PayPal Co-founder Peter Thiel.
Rapid rise
Bobba's journey from Berkeley to government insider
Bobba is a UC Berkeley Management, Entrepreneurship, and Technology (MET) program graduate. He has interned at tech giants such as Meta, Palantir, and Bridgewater Associates. It was during these internships that he sharpened his artificial intelligence (AI) and data analytics skills. His problem-solving prowess was demonstrated when he rewrote a deleted project overnight at Berkeley, a feat shared on social media by his classmate Charis Zhang.
Inexperience worries
DOGE's young recruits and security concerns
Internal government records describe Bobba as a "expert" at the Office of Personnel Management (OPM), directly reporting to Amanda Scales, the new chief of staff who was previously involved in hiring at Musk's artificial intelligence company. Bobba isn't the only young recruit at DOGE. The team also consists of recent graduates and former SpaceX interns. These young engineers now have official government emails and top-level security clearances.
Data access
DOGE's access to classified data raises alarm
Reports indicate Bobba and his colleagues have been given access to critical government IT infrastructure, a privilege usually reserved for high-ranking officials with extensive background checks. Concerns grew when DOGE staff tried to access classified data at the US Agency for International Development (USAID). Top security officials who prevented the attempt were then put on leave. The Associated Press later confirmed that DOGE personnel had actually accessed classified materials.
Others
Who are the others
The remaining members are Edward Coristine, Luke Farritor, Gautier Cole Killian, Gavin Kliger, and Ethan Shaotran. Kliger attended UC Berkeley and later worked for the AI business Databricks. Coristine appears to have recently enrolled at Northeastern University, while Farritor is a former SpaceX intern. Unlike the rest, Shaotran is still a senior at Harvard studying computer science. He was the runner-up in Musk's xAI hackathon and got a $100,000 grant from OpenAI for his firm, Energise.