The Recruitment Effort That Helped Build Elon Musk’s DOGE Army

The establishment of Elon Musk’s so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) relied on a recruitment campaign carried out, in part, by young software engineers fanning out across online chat groups and Discord servers, according to three sources and chat logs reviewed by WIRED. Some of the engineers are associated with data analytics firm Palantir or its cofounder and board of directors chair—and Musk ally—Peter Thiel.

As DOGE staffers—many of them young and with little or no government experience—continue to gain access to sensitive data across about a dozen government agencies, this is the first look at some of the networks from which the agency has recruited, and who they relied on to enlist talent.

In online chat groups linked to Palantir alumni and SpaceX interns, Musk’s space company, as well as in a Discord server associated with a military artificial intelligence program, the engineers said they were looking for people willing to spend six months in Washington, DC, cutting federal spending—which accounts for around a quarter of the US gross domestic product—by a third.

Anthony Jancso, one of three engineers associated with the recruitment effort, is a former Palantir employee. According to sources, Jancso said he was recruited to DOGE by Steve Davis, the Boring Company president and Musk lieutenant whom Bloomberg reported in December was leading recruitment for DOGE.

Palantir, Jancso, and Davis did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Jancso’s résumé lists him as a 2021 graduate of University College London and as having been a “forward deployed” software engineer at Palantir between December 2021 and May 2023. Jancso is best known for leading a project called Accelerate SF, which aims to leverage AI in the public sector. In a 2023 story about a then upcoming hackathon, VentureBeat reported that Accelerate had received support from companies including OpenAI and Anthropic. In 2024, the venture became known as AccelerateX. Purporting to offer “a modern OS for government,” AccelerateX claims it “transforms government infrastructure with AI-powered automation and software, delivered in days.”

On November 26, 2024, in a message reviewed by WIRED, a person using a screen name including the name Anthony and the same handle that Jancso uses on his X account posted in a Discord server associated with the Space Force Generative AI Challenge—an “eight-week combination of AI crash course and problem-solving hack-a-thon that engaged 350-plus participants,” according to its website.

“Helping the Dept. of Government Efficiency team find hardcore engineers,” the message reads. “Send your GitHub/LinkedIn to @DOGE on X and your X handle to me in DM if you’re interested or know someone who is, could help get them into the pipeline.”

In early December, in another message reviewed by WIRED, a person using the same handle posted to a chat group for Palantir alumni.

“Hey all,” the message read. “I’m helping Elon’s team find tech talent for the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) in the new admin. This is a historic opportunity to build an efficient government, and to cut the federal budget by 1/3. If you’re interested in playing a role in this mission, please reach out in the next few days.”