Why is Akash Bobba, Indian-origin engineer on Elon Musk's DOGE, facing flak?

Bobba is just one of six young recruits in Musk’s ambitious overhaul of government efficiency. The rest of the DOGE team consists of a mix of recent college graduates, current students, and former SpaceX interns
(Pic: HindustanTimes)
(Pic: HindustanTimes)
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Amid growing controversy surrounding Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), Indian-origin engineer Akash Bobba is currently facing charges. After hiring six engineers, ages 19 to 24, who had unfettered access to classified government networks, Elon Musk's recently established government agency came under fire.

Despite his strong credentials, Bobba lacks experience in important government positions. The 22-year-old built a stellar résumé by pursuing several internships in Silicon Valley before joining DOGE.

Akash Bobba excelled at the Management Entrepreneurship Technology (MET) programme at Univeristy of California (UC) Berkeley. His work experience at tech giants, including Meta and Palantir, alongside the hedge fund Bridgewater Associates, allowed him to learn about artificial intelligence (AI) and data analytics as well as financial modelling techniques.

“During a project at Berkeley, I accidentally deleted our entire codebase. I panicked. Akash just stared at the screen, shrugged, and rewrote everything from scratch in one night—better than before. We submitted early and got first in the class,” a former classmate, Charis Zhang, recalled via an X post thread, stated a report by the Hindustan Times.

Musk's young team

Bobba is just one of six young recruits in Musk’s ambitious overhaul of government efficiency. The rest of the DOGE team consists of a mix of recent college graduates, current students, and former SpaceX interns — each of whom now holds official government emails and top-level security clearances.

According to reports, at least four of the six new hires — including Bobba — have been granted top-level security clearance. However, none of these hires have prior experience in public service or government administration.

Following this, many warn that allowing individuals without a background in federal governance to access classified agencies like the General Services Administration (GSA) and the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) could pose significant risks.

“You have individuals who are not career public officials gaining access to some of the most sensitive government data. Congress has no real ability to intervene or monitor what's happening,” Don Moynihan, Professor at the University of Michigan, told WIRED, Hindustan Times stated.

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