Baris Akis
Tech Industry Links: Human Capital
Baris Akis was a booster for DOGE before it even formally existed, and he has been linked to its activities at the IRS, Treasury and OPM by the New York Times. As a non-US citizen (he has a green card), Mr. Akis is not formally a part of DOGE, but he was identified as leading operations as recently as March alongside fellow Musk loyalists Anthony Armstrong and Steve Davis. He is the president and co-founder of the company Human Capital.
Events
12/06/24
Identification:
A report on the tech billionaires steering Trump’s transition mentions Elon Musk and other names we now know to be DOGE staffers, and it describes how they have been interviewing people at Mar-a-Lago.
Identification:
A report on the tech billionaires steering Trump’s transition mentions Elon Musk and other names we now know to be DOGE staffers, and it describes how they have been interviewing people at Mar-a-Lago.
| Person: | Baris Akis, Elon Musk, Jared Birchall, Marc Andreessen, Michael Kratsios, Scott Kupor, Shaun Maguire, Steve Davis |
| Source: | The Silicon Valley Billionaires Steering Trump’s Transition The New York Times, 12/06/24 |
| Agency: | DOGE |
1/02/25
Action:
Baris Akis introduces Nate Cavanaugh to Steve Davis, so that he can recruit Nate Cavanaugh to work for DOGE. Vinay Hiremath introduced Mr. Akis to Mr. Cavanagh
Action:
Baris Akis introduces Nate Cavanaugh to Steve Davis, so that he can recruit Nate Cavanaugh to work for DOGE. Vinay Hiremath introduced Mr. Akis to Mr. Cavanagh
| Person: | Baris Akis, Nate Cavanaugh, Steve Davis, Vinay Hiremath |
| Source: | The Authors Guild/American Council of Learned Societies v. National Endowment for the Humanities, doc 248-1 Court Document, 3/06/26 |
| Agency: | DOGE |
1/12/25
Identification:
A New York Times report on DOGE from just before the Inauguration roughly describes the working arrangements for embedding some staff and detailing others as well as some early participants in the project
Identification:
A New York Times report on DOGE from just before the Inauguration roughly describes the working arrangements for embedding some staff and detailing others as well as some early participants in the project
| Person: | Baris Akis, Brad Smith, James Burnham, Joanna Wischer, Marc Andreessen, Matt Luby, Rachel Riley, Shaun Maguire, Steve Davis, Vinay Hiremath |
| Source: | Inside Elon Musk’s Plan for DOGE to Slash Government Costs The New York Times, 1/12/25 |
| Agency: | DOGE |
1/24/25
Identification:
A report from Business Insider names some of the DOGE staffers who were involved in transition activities and provides an early snapshot of who is in DOGE.
Identification:
A report from Business Insider names some of the DOGE staffers who were involved in transition activities and provides an early snapshot of who is in DOGE.
| Person: | Baris Akis, Brad Smith, James Burnham, Joanna Wischer, Katie Miller, Marc Andreessen, Rachel Riley, Shaun Maguire, Steve Davis |
| Source: | DOGE under Musk unites Trumpworld vets with tech industry giants Yahoo, 2/04/25 |
| Agency: | DOGE |
c.1/25/25
Report:
Elon Musk makes an official request to the White House for Baris Akis to be allowed to work for DOGE, even though he is a noncitizen and it wouldn’t normally be allowed. His request is denied.
Report:
Elon Musk makes an official request to the White House for Baris Akis to be allowed to work for DOGE, even though he is a noncitizen and it wouldn’t normally be allowed. His request is denied.
| Question: | Fuzz: date not given, but source published Feb 4th |
| Person: | Baris Akis, Elon Musk |
| Source: | Trump Advisers Stopped Musk From Hiring a Noncitizen at DOGE The Atlantic, 2/04/25 |
| Agency: | DOGE |
2/09/25
Sighting:
DOGE members Baris Akis, Katrine Trampe, Jordan Wick and Riley Sennott are signed in to work at GSA headquarters on a Sunday. It’s unclear if they are there for a meeting or just to use the DOGE working space inside of GSA. They are hosted at the building by Thomas Shedd, Stephen Ehikian and Ethan Shaotran.
Sighting:
DOGE members Baris Akis, Katrine Trampe, Jordan Wick and Riley Sennott are signed in to work at GSA headquarters on a Sunday. It’s unclear if they are there for a meeting or just to use the DOGE working space inside of GSA. They are hosted at the building by Thomas Shedd, Stephen Ehikian and Ethan Shaotran.
| Person: | Baris Akis, Jordan Wick, Katrine Trampe, Riley Sennott, Stephen Ehikian, Thomas Shedd |
| Source: | FOIA response by GSA for visitor logs in 2025 Document Cloud, 4/10/26 |
| Agency: | GSA |
c.3/26/25
Identification:
In a later interview, Sahil Lavingia describes attending an “E-meeting” for DOGE that included Elon Musk but was essentially run by Steve Davis as well as two other Musk loyalists, Anthony Armstrong and Baris Akis. Baris Akis is notably not an employee of DOGE, since he is a foreign national and Musk was not granted a waiver to hire him.
Identification:
In a later interview, Sahil Lavingia describes attending an “E-meeting” for DOGE that included Elon Musk but was essentially run by Steve Davis as well as two other Musk loyalists, Anthony Armstrong and Baris Akis. Baris Akis is notably not an employee of DOGE, since he is a foreign national and Musk was not granted a waiver to hire him.
| Question: | Fuzz: date is given as “late March,” assuming a Wednesday bc others reported DOGE meetings during that time |
| Person: | Anthony Armstrong, Baris Akis, Elon Musk, Steve Davis |
| Source: | WIRED Talked to a Fired DOGE Staffer About Who Was Really in Charge Wired Magazine, 5/29/25 |
| Agency: | DOGE |
| DOGE Project: | Impunity |
4/10/25
Sighting:
Baris Akis spends several days working within GSA HQ, despite not being a formal DOGE employee. He is signed into GSA by Emily Bryant and Alexandra Beynon.
Sighting:
Baris Akis spends several days working within GSA HQ, despite not being a formal DOGE employee. He is signed into GSA by Emily Bryant and Alexandra Beynon.
| Person: | Alexandra Beynon, Baris Akis, Emily Bryant |
| Source: | FOIA response by GSA for visitor logs in 2025 Document Cloud, 4/10/26 |
| Agency: | GSA |