This DOGE Staffer’s GitHub Posts Might Reveal Elon Musk’s AI Government Plans
The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), which some believe is led by Elon Musk, may be utilizing AI to overhaul government structures, and hints of this strategy can be found in the online activities of a DOGE staffer.
During the latter half of February, Jordan Wick, who is connected to the Executive Office of the President via a DOGE email and is currently working within the General Services Administration (GSA), uploaded code to his GitHub page for several tools that appear related to DOGE’s objectives. Political reporter Roger Sollenberger uncovered the page late last month.
Wick’s postings include code for a tool designed to automatically download direct messages (DMs) from Twitter accounts. The code specifically references Twitter accounts, which were active until the social media platform rebranded to “X” in October 2023. This suggests the tool could be used to investigate the digital histories of government employees, potentially searching for opinions or references that might be considered objectionable.
Another tool appeared to be created for gathering sensitive data from the organizational charts of government agencies. The tool included fields for details such as an employee’s office, a satisfaction rating from 1 to 5, union membership status, and whether the position is legally mandated.
Both the Twitter DM and org chart tools have the potential to capture and organize data for use in an AI model. According to a source at the GSA, the sensitive data gathered could be used in a “potential AI federal employee evaluation/firing-bot.” Wick has since set his GitHub account to private. Fast Company reached out to DOGE for comment on Wick’s GitHub posts but did not receive an immediate response.
While Wick’s tools seem aimed at evaluating and potentially removing federal employees, his professional background indicates a deep interest in using artificial intelligence to modernize government IT systems.
Following his graduation from MIT in 2020 and after working at Waymo, the self-driving car company, Wick co-founded Accelerate SF with Anthony Jancso, who previously worked at Palantir. The company organized hackathons focused on finding ways to leverage large language models to improve local government services in San Francisco. In 2024, Accelerate SF rebranded as AccelerateX and began seeking federal agency contracts with its own “modern OS for government.” A job posting on X stated that the company aims to use AI to cut spending, automate routine tasks, and assist in the interpretation of government policy language.
AccelerateX claimed last May that it had contracts with “two of the largest transportation agencies in America,” but a search for the company’s name in the federal procurement database yielded no results. These contracts could possibly be with state or local governments. AccelerateX did not respond to Fast Company’s request for comment.
A key challenge in applying AI tools to streamline government operations is the need to integrate them effectively into existing, often outdated and inflexible mission-critical systems. These include the legacy COBOL-coded mainframe systems that process Social Security payments. Any disruptions to these legacy systems could affect the benefits millions rely on for their livelihood.
