TL/DR –
Former Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) employee, Sahil Lavigna, has criticized the department for failing to recruit sufficient tech talent to effect meaningful change. Speaking at a conference, Lavigna emphasized the department’s lack of cohesiveness and direction, with different teams working independently on separate projects. Lavigna, who worked on a tool for reviewing unnecessary contracts at the Department of Veterans Affairs, also highlighted problems with the federal hiring process and called for more software engineers to be recruited.
Tech Talent Recruitment and Project Efficiency within DOGE
Former Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) employee, Sahil Lavigna, criticizes the department’s failure to meet goals and the federal government’s inadequate tech talent recruitment. At the Hackers on Planet Earth (HOPE) conference, Lavigna suggested DOGE lacked cohesive organization and focus on project goals.
During his time at the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), Lavigna developed a “contract muncher” tool, flagging unnecessary contracts. ProPublica reported that the tool identified over 2,000 contracts, leading to 600 terminations so far.
Ship Code, Not Political Alignments
Lavigna expressed his desire to “ship code for the federal government” rather than be politically aligned. However, he reported a “political alignment interview” as part of his DOGE hiring process. He suggests such screenings deter tech talent recruitment, especially among software engineers who lean Democrat.
Government Efficiency and Tech Talent
Lavigna encourages more tech workers to consider roles within the federal government, despite a governmentwide hiring freeze, looming layoffs, and the stigma of insufficient software engineers. He criticized decisions to shutter tech shop 18F, arguing the need for more software engineers.
Lavigna also expressed concerns about the overplayed influence of DOGE in the media, describing it as an advisory body with “literally zero authority.” Despite these criticisms, he views his experience at the VA positively and would consider another tour of duty, aiming to improve the system.
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