Elon Musk’s DOGE Unit Recruiting Government Tech Experts

⁢ ⁣ Updated June 06, 2025
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Despite reports⁣ of a rift between Elon Musk⁣ and former President Donald Trump, Musk’s ⁤department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) is on a hiring spree, targeting⁢ technologists with prior government service. according to sources, DOGE is specifically reaching out to individuals who ⁤previously left government positions, even those who‍ departed as part of workforce reduction efforts.

One potential recruit was ‍informed that their prior participation in the Deferred Resignation Program ⁤(DRP) would not necessarily disqualify ⁤them from ⁣consideration. DOGE seeks tech⁣ workers for two-year terms⁢ in development, operations,⁤ software, and product roles.

the positions offer salaries between $120,000 and $195,000 annually, placing them on the higher end of the government ‍pay scale. the recruitment process includes a ⁣screening call, a take-home technical assessment, and two follow-up interviews.

As part of the request, candidates must develop a tool to analyze federal regulations within the Electronic Code of Federal Regulations (eCFR). While permanent USDS applicants submit their code via Kiteworks, all applicants are asked to publicly⁢ upload their code to GitHub.

An email reviewed indicates that triumphant applicants may contribute to projects such as⁢ leveraging AI to enhance medical services for veterans,streamlining federal aid applications for disaster survivors,and improving the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).

The executive order establishing DOGE placed ⁣it within the former US Digital Service (USDS), a group of tech specialists serving two- to three-year government terms. The order renamed USDS to US DOGE Service and created a “temporary DOGE organization.” Both entities are currently hiring.

One source stated that the US DOGE Service⁤ and⁣ DOGE are now essentially the same. As Trump took office, the USDS has experienced meaningful staff losses and recruitment challenges.

Meanwhile, original DOGE members are transitioning into full-time government roles within federal agencies. Luke ‍Farritor and Edward Coristine, previously associated with a telecommunications⁢ firm known for hiring former blackhat hackers, recently joined the General Services Governance (GSA) full-time.

Thomas Shedd, a former Tesla engineer and key DOGE figure at the GSA,⁤ is considering revamping the Presidential Innovation Fellows program. This program, which brings ⁤technologists into ⁢government, has faced recruitment hurdles due to the government-wide hiring freeze. ⁣Shedd‍ directs GSA’s Technology ⁣and Change ‍services (TTS).

“Thomas Shedd and his bosses created a problem by collapsing and getting rid of all of their ⁣tech talent, and now ⁢they ‍have these projects they want to prosecute to implement new⁤ capabilities and that requires tech talent,” says one GSA ⁢tech worker.

What’s ⁤next

As DOGE continues its ‍recruitment efforts, the focus remains on attracting experienced technologists to contribute to key government initiatives, particularly those involving AI and streamlining federal services. The success of these efforts will likely impact⁣ the implementation of new capabilities across various government agencies.