Sahil Lavingia, the CEO of Gumroad and a former Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) staffer for the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), exposed the internal disorganization and shadow leadership of Elon Musk’s efficiency initiative following his 55-day tenure. In a detailed account published on his personal website and subsequent discussions with WIRED, Lavingia revealed that while Musk served as the public face, the operational machinery was driven by a small circle of loyalists now poised to exit the administration.
The Real Architect: Steve Davis and the Shadow Command
Lavingia identifies Steve Davis, the CEO of the Boring Company and a long-time Musk lieutenant, as the true operational lead of DOGE. While Musk’s public involvement has fluctuated, Davis reportedly managed the day-to-day logistics and maintained a bird’s-eye view of all agency-level activities. Lavingia asserts that Davis was the “only person who was across everything,” serving as a central hub for a fragmented organization where information sharing between teams was virtually non-existent.
Davis, alongside his partner Nicole Hollander, previously demonstrated his commitment to Musk’s “hardcore” work culture during the 2022 takeover of X (formerly Twitter). At DOGE, Davis directed agency leads via the encrypted messaging app Signal, specifically instructing the VA team to prioritize the review of federal contracts for immediate cancellation. With both Davis and Hollander reportedly preparing to depart, the future trajectory and leadership of DOGE remain fundamentally uncertain.
Legal Risks and the Signal Protocol
The reliance on Signal for official government business raises significant legal questions regarding transparency and record-keeping. Federal law mandates that government employees preserve all communications, a standard that encrypted, self-deleting messaging apps often circumvent. This practice has already caused friction within the administration; earlier this year, National Security Adviser Mike Waltz inadvertently added a journalist to a Signal group used to discuss sensitive military operations in Yemen.
The “E Meeting” and Recruitment Controversies
Lavingia described a pivotal “E meeting” in late March attended by Musk and his inner circle, including Anthony Armstrong and Baris Akis. Armstrong, who advised Musk during the Twitter acquisition, focused his DOGE efforts on the Office of Personnel Management (OPM). Meanwhile, Akis—the co-founder of Human Capital—allegedly spearheaded recruitment despite not being a U.S. citizen.
The presence of Akis in a leadership role contradicts previous reports that Trump advisers blocked his official hiring due to his Turkish citizenship. U.S. regulations generally prohibit non-citizens from federal employment. However, Lavingia maintains that Akis was instrumental in his own onboarding, coordinating his assignment to the VA and connecting him with agency leads. These claims were bolstered by Musk ally Antonio Gracias, who confirmed on the All-In Podcast that Akis was leading recruitment efforts for the initiative.
DOGE as a Political “Fall Guy”
Beyond the logistical chaos, Lavingia offers a cynical analysis of DOGE’s true purpose within the Trump administration. He argues that the entity lacked genuine authority, functioning instead as a strategic shield for the White House. By allowing DOGE to propose drastic cuts and controversial restructuring, agency heads appointed by the President could implement unpopular changes while shifting the political blame onto Musk’s “outside” group.
“In reality, DOGE had no direct authority,” Lavingia noted, characterizing the group as a “fall guy” for the administration’s most contentious decisions. As the primary architects of this structure exit their roles, Lavingia predicts a mass exodus of the young engineers who followed Musk and Davis into the federal bureaucracy, leaving the initiative’s long-term viability in doubt.
