Ethan Shaotran
Exited govt: 1/XX/26 (self-reported)
“I dropped out of Harvard and came here to serve my country… most of campus hates me now” is what Ethan Shaotran boasted about his alma mater in a recent TV interview. He dropped out of the school in his senior year to join DOGE, where he was part of the initial wrecking crew formed in GSA. In that role, he was involved in efforts to cancel grants, eliminate staff and shut down multple agencies. He was even involved in efforts at some agencies to cancel grants to universities, including his alma mater. According to his LinkedIn, he left government service in January 2026 and is now working on Aligned, a governance platform at OpenAI.
Positions
Appointed:
1/20/25-1/XX/26 volunteer
Converted to Permanent Position:
4/10/25 converted to permanent position Senior Advisor GS-14, $142,488 - $185,234 «Salary range for GS-14 in DC»
Offboarding:
Left govt 1/XX/26 (self-reported)
Appointed:
1/20/25-1/XX/26 volunteer
Converted to Permanent Position:
4/10/25 converted to permanent position Senior Advisor GS-14, $142,488 - $185,234 «Salary range for GS-14 in DC»
Offboarding:
Left govt 1/XX/26 (self-reported)
| Source: | Elon Musk’s Friends Have Infiltrated Another Government Agency Wired Magazine, 1/31/25 |
| Source: | ‘Big Balls’ Is Officially a Full-Time Government Employee Wired Magazine, 6/04/25 |
Detailed To:
1/27/25 detailed from GSA
Detailed To:
1/27/25 detailed from GSA
| Source: | The Authors Guild/American Council of Learned Societies v. National Endowment for the Humanities, doc 122-2 Court Document, 2/17/26 |
| Source: | Detailing agreement from GSA to Education for ED-3 Document Cloud, 4/07/25 |
| Source: | Onboarding documentation at SSA for "Employee 10" Document Cloud, 4/09/25 |
| Source: | Detailing agreement for "Employee 10" from the GSA to SSA Document Cloud, 4/09/25 |
Detailed To:
2/20/25 detailed from GSA NTE 7/04/26
Detailed To:
2/20/25 detailed from GSA NTE 7/04/26
| Source: | Detailing agreement for Ethan Shaotran from GSA to USADF Document Cloud, 3/21/25 |
Detailed To:
2/28/25-4/04/25 detailed from GSA «agency contact was earlier, but assuming MOU signed when Marocco seized power»
Offboarding:
removed 4/04/25
Detailed To:
2/28/25-4/04/25 detailed from GSA «agency contact was earlier, but assuming MOU signed when Marocco seized power»
Offboarding:
removed 4/04/25
| Source: | Aviel v. Gor, doc 35-2 Court Document, 4/18/25 |
Detailed To:
3/12/25 detailed from GSA NTE 6/15/25
Detailed To:
3/12/25 detailed from GSA NTE 6/15/25
| Source: | Detailing agreement from GSA to USPS for Ethan Shaotran Document Cloud, |
Detailed To:
4/28/25 likely detailed from GSA
Detailed To:
4/28/25 likely detailed from GSA
| Source: | DOGE targets US foreign aid agency created under first Trump administration Politico, 4/28/25 |
Events
1/20/25
Appointed:
Ethan Shaotran starts at GSA.
Appointed:
Ethan Shaotran starts at GSA.
| Appointed: | Ethan Shaotran 1/20/25-1/XX/26 |
| Salary: | Volunteer |
| Source: | Elon Musk’s Friends Have Infiltrated Another Government Agency Wired Magazine, 1/31/25 |
c.1/21/25
Interagency Coordination:
Future DOGE employee Justin Fox is contacted by Anthony Armstrong and is recruited to work there by him and other DOGE employees who communicate with him over Signal.
Interagency Coordination:
Future DOGE employee Justin Fox is contacted by Anthony Armstrong and is recruited to work there by him and other DOGE employees who communicate with him over Signal.
| Question: | Fuzz: Exact date not given, but he testifies that Anthony Armstrong reached out just after inauguration |
| Person: | Anthony Armstrong, Ethan Shaotran, Josh Gruenbaum, Justin Aimonetti, Justin Fox, Nate Cavanaugh |
| Source: | The Authors Guild/American Council of Learned Societies v. National Endowment for the Humanities, doc 248-2 Court Document, 3/06/26 |
| Agency: | DOGE, GSA, OPM |
1/23/25
Sighting:
A GSA employee reports meeting Kyle Schutt and Ethan Shaotran and also bumping into Edward Coristine. They are described as being giddy and interested and curious and then shifting in tone the following week with DOGE staff “frantically running around trying to do impossible shit with no context and no flexibility and no ability to push back.”
Sighting:
A GSA employee reports meeting Kyle Schutt and Ethan Shaotran and also bumping into Edward Coristine. They are described as being giddy and interested and curious and then shifting in tone the following week with DOGE staff “frantically running around trying to do impossible shit with no context and no flexibility and no ability to push back.”
| Person: | Edward Coristine, Ethan Shaotran, Kyle Schutt |
| Source: | The Story of DOGE, as Told by Federal Workers Wired Magazine, 9/25/25 |
| Agency: | GSA |
1/27/25
Detailed To:
Detailed To:
| GSA Detailed To: DOGE Ethan Shaotran 1/27/25 | |
| Source: | The Authors Guild/American Council of Learned Societies v. National Endowment for the Humanities, doc 122-2 Court Document, 2/17/26 |
1/31/25
Identification:
Wired reports that DOGE staff are attempting to get elevated access to GSA systems and making changes to office arrangements to create a special reserved floor for their staff with a security guard checking names.
Identification:
Wired reports that DOGE staff are attempting to get elevated access to GSA systems and making changes to office arrangements to create a special reserved floor for their staff with a security guard checking names.
| Person: | Edward Coristine, Ethan Shaotran, Nicole Hollander, Steve Davis, Thomas Shedd |
| Source: | Elon Musk’s Friends Have Infiltrated Another Government Agency Wired Magazine, 1/31/25 |
| Agency: | GSA |
| DOGE Project: | Impunity |
2/01/25
Interagency Coordination:
Ethan Shaotran at GSA hosts Brooks Morgan and Conor Fennessy from Education in a Saturday co-working session. It’s unclear if they are there to work together or they are simply interested in using DOGE’s space in the GSA to work.
Interagency Coordination:
Ethan Shaotran at GSA hosts Brooks Morgan and Conor Fennessy from Education in a Saturday co-working session. It’s unclear if they are there to work together or they are simply interested in using DOGE’s space in the GSA to work.
| Person: | Brooks Morgan, Conor Fennessy, Ethan Shaotran |
| Source: | FOIA response by GSA for visitor logs in 2025 Document Cloud, 4/10/26 |
| Agency: | Ed., GSA |
2/08/25
System Access:
NBC News reports that Akash Bobba and Ethan Shaotran have admin access to email at the Department of Education and had also accessed the backend admin for the agency website.
System Access:
NBC News reports that Akash Bobba and Ethan Shaotran have admin access to email at the Department of Education and had also accessed the backend admin for the agency website.
| Person: | Akash Bobba, Ethan Shaotran |
| Source: | Inside DOGE's takeover of the Education Department NBC News, 2/08/25 |
| Agency: | Ed. |
| DOGE Project: | Impunity |
2/12/25
Detailed To:
Detailed To:
| GSA Detailed To: Ed. Ethan Shaotran 2/12/25 | |
| Source: | Detailing agreement from GSA to Education for ED-3 Document Cloud, 4/07/25 |
2/18/25
Detailed To:
Detailed To:
| GSA Detailed To: SSA Ethan Shaotran 2/18/25 | |
| Source: | Onboarding documentation at SSA for "Employee 10" Document Cloud, 4/09/25 |
| Source: | Detailing agreement for "Employee 10" from the GSA to SSA Document Cloud, 4/09/25 |
Onboarding:
Multiple unidentified DOGE staffers start working at SSA on the same day. SSA-02 (Scott Coulter) is detailed from NASA. SSA-07 (Marko Elez) is detailed from the DOL. SSA-10 (Ethan Shaotran) arrives from the GSA, and SSA-05 (Cole Killian) is detailed from DOGE itself.
Onboarding:
Multiple unidentified DOGE staffers start working at SSA on the same day. SSA-02 (Scott Coulter) is detailed from NASA. SSA-07 (Marko Elez) is detailed from the DOL. SSA-10 (Ethan Shaotran) arrives from the GSA, and SSA-05 (Cole Killian) is detailed from DOGE itself.
| Person: | Cole Killian, Ethan Shaotran, Marko Elez, Scott Coulter |
| Source: | American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, AFL-CIO v. SSA, doc 121-5 Court Document, 4/09/25 |
| Agency: | SSA |
2/20/25
Detailed To:
Detailed To:
| GSA Detailed To: USADF Ethan Shaotran 2/20/25 | |
| Source: | Detailing agreement for Ethan Shaotran from GSA to USADF Document Cloud, 3/21/25 |
Identification:
Several DOGE staffers working at the agency are identified by Social Security Works (a nonprofit advocacy group).
Identification:
Several DOGE staffers working at the agency are identified by Social Security Works (a nonprofit advocacy group).
| Person: | Cole Killian, Ethan Shaotran, Leland Dudek, Marko Elez, Nikhil Rajpal |
| Source: | The curious case of Leland Dudek The Handbasket, 2/20/25 |
| Agency: | SSA |
Sighting:
IAF President Sara Aviel learns that DOGE will be visiting her agency. That afternoon, she meets Nate Cavanaugh and Ethan Shaotran who both introduce themselves as GSA employees. They showed little interest in a discussion on efficiency initiatives at the agency and stated they just wanted access to systems.
Sighting:
IAF President Sara Aviel learns that DOGE will be visiting her agency. That afternoon, she meets Nate Cavanaugh and Ethan Shaotran who both introduce themselves as GSA employees. They showed little interest in a discussion on efficiency initiatives at the agency and stated they just wanted access to systems.
| Person: | Ethan Shaotran, Nate Cavanaugh |
| Source: | Aviel v. Gor, doc 35-2 Court Document, 4/18/25 |
| Agency: | IAF |
2/21/25
Sighting:
Ethan Shaotran, Jacob Altik, and Nate Cavanaugh arrive at the agency and demand that a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) must be signed for their detail assignment.
Sighting:
Ethan Shaotran, Jacob Altik, and Nate Cavanaugh arrive at the agency and demand that a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) must be signed for their detail assignment.
| Person: | Ethan Shaotran, Jacob Altik, Nate Cavanaugh |
| Source: | Brehm v. Marocco, doc 7-3 Court Document, 3/06/25 |
| Agency: | USADF |
Interagency Coordination:
Ethan Shaotran and Nate Cavanaugh return to the IAF with Jacob Altik, who presented himself as representing the EOP. Altik confirms that DOGE plans to reduce IAF to what he considers the statutory minimum (a board and president, a location in DC, some grants) and DOGE will be conducting a Reduction in Force of all employees and terminating all grants. The demand approval from the board and threaten the board will be fired otherwise.
Interagency Coordination:
Ethan Shaotran and Nate Cavanaugh return to the IAF with Jacob Altik, who presented himself as representing the EOP. Altik confirms that DOGE plans to reduce IAF to what he considers the statutory minimum (a board and president, a location in DC, some grants) and DOGE will be conducting a Reduction in Force of all employees and terminating all grants. The demand approval from the board and threaten the board will be fired otherwise.
| Person: | Ethan Shaotran, Jacob Altik, Nate Cavanaugh |
| Source: | Aviel v. Gor, doc 35-2 Court Document, 4/18/25 |
| Agency: | DOGE, GSA, IAF |
| DOGE Project: | Elimination, Anti-Personnel, Spending |
Disruption:
Once the MOU is signed, DOGE staff reveal their real purpose is to conduct a massive reduction in agency staff and scope and demand they must file a RIF plan by February 24th.
Disruption:
Once the MOU is signed, DOGE staff reveal their real purpose is to conduct a massive reduction in agency staff and scope and demand they must file a RIF plan by February 24th.
| Person: | Ethan Shaotran, Jacob Altik, Nate Cavanaugh |
| Source: | Brehm v. Marocco, doc 7-3 Court Document, 3/06/25 |
| Agency: | USADF |
| DOGE Project: | Elimination |
2/27/25
Disruption:
Ethan Shaotran contacts Leland Dudek to inform him that DOGE had identified roughly 3 dozen federal contracts in Maine as “nonessential” and that “we should cancel them” as retribution for the Maine governor publicly countering abuse from the President over transgender athletes. Two of those contracts are for Social Security services in the State.
Disruption:
Ethan Shaotran contacts Leland Dudek to inform him that DOGE had identified roughly 3 dozen federal contracts in Maine as “nonessential” and that “we should cancel them” as retribution for the Maine governor publicly countering abuse from the President over transgender athletes. Two of those contracts are for Social Security services in the State.
| Person: | Ethan Shaotran, Leland Dudek |
| Source: | The Bureaucrat and the Billionaire: Inside DOGE’s Chaotic Takeover of Social Security The New York Times, 6/16/25 |
| Agency: | SSA |
| DOGE Project: | Anti-DEI, Spending |
2/28/25
Detailed To:
Detailed To:
| GSA Detailed To: IAF Ethan Shaotran 2/28/25-4/04/25 | |
| Source: | Aviel v. Gor, doc 35-2 Court Document, 4/18/25 |
| Note: | agency contact was earlier, but assuming MOU signed when Marocco seized power |
Disruption:
Peter Marocco convenes an emergency board meeting (where the emergency is that Trump issued an executive order), asserting that means he can avoid the mandatory 1-week notification to the board of the agency. In attendance at the meeting are Ethan Shaotran and Nate Cavanaugh. This is where he declares himself the new President and Acting CIO of the IAF.
Disruption:
Peter Marocco convenes an emergency board meeting (where the emergency is that Trump issued an executive order), asserting that means he can avoid the mandatory 1-week notification to the board of the agency. In attendance at the meeting are Ethan Shaotran and Nate Cavanaugh. This is where he declares himself the new President and Acting CIO of the IAF.
| Person: | Ethan Shaotran, Nate Cavanaugh, Peter Marocco |
| Source: | Aviel v. Gor, doc 35-10 Court Document, 4/18/25 |
| Agency: | IAF |
3/04/25
Identification:
Wired reports that some DOGE staff (Kyle Schutt, Nate Cavanaugh) are being paid as full-time GSA employees, but other staff are listed as volunteers for that agency.
Identification:
Wired reports that some DOGE staff (Kyle Schutt, Nate Cavanaugh) are being paid as full-time GSA employees, but other staff are listed as volunteers for that agency.
| Person: | Derek Geissler, Edward Coristine, Ethan Shaotran, Kyle Schutt, Luke Farritor, Nate Cavanaugh, Nicole Hollander |
| Source: | Some DOGE Staffers Are Drawing Six-Figure Government Salaries Wired Magazine, 3/04/25 |
| Agency: | GSA |
3/05/25
Disruption:
Jacob Altik and Ethan Shaotran are rebuffed by agency leadership when attempting to enter the agency headquarters.
Disruption:
Jacob Altik and Ethan Shaotran are rebuffed by agency leadership when attempting to enter the agency headquarters.
| Person: | Ethan Shaotran, Jacob Altik |
| Source: | Musk’s DOGE Goons in Tense Standoff Video Unmasked The Daily Beast, 3/07/25 |
| Agency: | USADF |
3/06/25
Disruption:
DOGE staff Jacob Altik and Ethan Shaotran return to the agency joined by Nate Cavanaugh and US marshals to force their way into the agency.
Disruption:
DOGE staff Jacob Altik and Ethan Shaotran return to the agency joined by Nate Cavanaugh and US marshals to force their way into the agency.
| Person: | Ethan Shaotran, Jacob Altik, Nate Cavanaugh |
| Source: | Musk’s DOGE Goons in Tense Standoff Video Unmasked The Daily Beast, 3/07/25 |
| Agency: | USADF |
3/12/25
Detailed To:
Detailed To:
| GSA Detailed To: USPS Ethan Shaotran 3/12/25 | |
| Source: | Detailing agreement from GSA to USPS for Ethan Shaotran Document Cloud, |
| Person: | Akash Bobba, Antonio Gracias, Aram Moghaddassi, Cole Killian, Ethan Shaotran, Jon Koval, Marko Elez, Nikhil Rajpal, Payton Rehling, Scott Coulter |
| Source: | AFL-CIO v. DOL, doc 53-1 Court Document, 3/13/25 |
| Agency: | SSA |
3/13/25
Identification:
Wired reports that 10 DOGE staffers are currently visible in the Microsoft Teams directory of all employees at SSA
Identification:
Wired reports that 10 DOGE staffers are currently visible in the Microsoft Teams directory of all employees at SSA
| Person: | Akash Bobba, Antonio Gracias, Cole Killian, Ethan Shaotran, Jon Koval, Luke Farritor, Marko Elez, Nikhil Rajpal, Payton Rehling, Scott Coulter |
| Source: | These Are the 10 DOGE Operatives Inside the Social Security Administration Wired Magazine, 3/13/25 |
| Agency: | SSA |
3/24/25
Sighting:
Acting Postmaster General Doug Tulino met with the DOGE team embedded there (Ethan Shaotran and Alexander Simonpour), reportedly to discuss ethics rules.
Sighting:
Acting Postmaster General Doug Tulino met with the DOGE team embedded there (Ethan Shaotran and Alexander Simonpour), reportedly to discuss ethics rules.
| Person: | Alexander Simonpour, Ethan Shaotran |
| Source: | DOGE holds meetings with White House, new postal leadership and Treasury to discuss reforming USPS GovExec, 6/20/25 |
| Agency: | USPS |
4/04/25
Offboarding:
Ethan Shaotran ends detailed position at IAF
Offboarding:
Ethan Shaotran ends detailed position at IAF
| GSA Detailed To: IAF Ethan Shaotran 2/28/25-4/04/25 | |
| Source: | Aviel v. Gor, doc 35-2 Court Document, 4/18/25 |
| Note: | agency contact was earlier, but assuming MOU signed when Marocco seized power |
Legal:
Sara Aviel discovers that a team@iaf.gov created for the use of Ethan Shaotran and Nate Cavanaugh had deactivated the admin access for the remaining IAF employee the day before Aviel’s return by orders of a court as President of the agency.
Legal:
Sara Aviel discovers that a
team@iaf.gov created for the use of Ethan Shaotran and Nate Cavanaugh had deactivated the admin access for the remaining IAF employee the day before Aviel’s return by orders of a court as President of the agency.
| Person: | Ethan Shaotran, Nate Cavanaugh |
| Source: | Aviel v. Gor, doc 35-2 Court Document, 4/18/25 |
| Agency: | IAF |
| DOGE Project: | Anti-Personnel |
4/10/25
Converted to Permanent Position:
Ethan Shaotran converted to permanent paid position as Senior Advisor at GSA
Converted to Permanent Position:
Ethan Shaotran converted to permanent paid position as Senior Advisor at GSA
| Converted to Permanent Position: | Ethan Shaotran 4/10/25 |
| Position Title: | Senior Advisor |
| Salary: | $142,488 - $185,234 |
| Source: | ‘Big Balls’ Is Officially a Full-Time Government Employee Wired Magazine, 6/04/25 |
| Note: | Salary range for GS-14 in DC |
Report:
Ethan Shaotran is converted to a regular position at the GSA at the GS-14 level, which would mean an annual salary of $142,488 - $185,234 in Washington, DC. This is a relatively senior position for any government worker that would not normally be granted to someone with his limited work experience.
Report:
Ethan Shaotran is converted to a regular position at the GSA at the GS-14 level, which would mean an annual salary of $142,488 - $185,234 in Washington, DC. This is a relatively senior position for any government worker that would not normally be granted to someone with his limited work experience.
| Person: | Ethan Shaotran |
| Source: | ‘Big Balls’ Is Officially a Full-Time Government Employee Wired Magazine, 6/04/25 |
| Agency: | GSA |
4/28/25
Detailed To:
Detailed To:
| GSA? Detailed To: DFC Ethan Shaotran 4/28/25 | |
| Source: | DOGE targets US foreign aid agency created under first Trump administration Politico, 4/28/25 |
Sighting:
A team of 4 DOGE personnel – Nate Cavanaugh, Jonathan Mendelson, Ethan Shaotran and Marshall Wood – arrive at the headquarters of the US International Development Finance Corporation
Sighting:
A team of 4 DOGE personnel – Nate Cavanaugh, Jonathan Mendelson, Ethan Shaotran and Marshall Wood – arrive at the headquarters of the US International Development Finance Corporation
| Person: | Ethan Shaotran, Jonathan Mendelson, Marshall Wood, Nate Cavanaugh |
| Source: | DOGE targets US foreign aid agency created under first Trump administration Politico, 4/28/25 |
| Agency: | DFC |
4/XX/25
Sighting:
Ethan Shaotran and Alexander Simonpour meet again with the acting Postmaster General as well as other senior staff. Reportedly, the topic of this meeting is potential price increases, which is outside the limitations on their work that had been set by former Postmaster DeJoy in the Memorandums of Understanding (MOU) he signed for their presence at the agency.
Sighting:
Ethan Shaotran and Alexander Simonpour meet again with the acting Postmaster General as well as other senior staff. Reportedly, the topic of this meeting is potential price increases, which is outside the limitations on their work that had been set by former Postmaster DeJoy in the Memorandums of Understanding (MOU) he signed for their presence at the agency.
| Person: | Alexander Simonpour, Ethan Shaotran |
| Source: | DOGE holds meetings with White House, new postal leadership and Treasury to discuss reforming USPS GovExec, 6/20/25 |
| Agency: | USPS |
5/23/25
Disruption:
Ethan Shaotran sends a Survey of Surveys email to federal agencies asking them to report information on data-collection surveys. This is redundant to the existing survey oversight already conducted by OMB, and there are concerns about what the data will be used for.
Disruption:
Ethan Shaotran sends a Survey of Surveys email to federal agencies asking them to report information on data-collection surveys. This is redundant to the existing survey oversight already conducted by OMB, and there are concerns about what the data will be used for.
| Person: | Ethan Shaotran |
| Source: | DOGE created a 'survey of surveys' for a push to cut some government data collection National Public Radio, 5/23/25 |
| Agency: | GSA |
| DOGE Project: | Elimination |
5/XX/25
Interagency Coordination:
In May, Clark Milner, a senior advisor for policy in the White House, organized a meeting between USPS staff, the DOGE representatives at the agency, other DOGE staffers and members of the Domestic Policy Council.
Interagency Coordination:
In May, Clark Milner, a senior advisor for policy in the White House, organized a meeting between USPS staff, the DOGE representatives at the agency, other DOGE staffers and members of the Domestic Policy Council.
| Question: | Fuzz: No other specific date information is given |
| Person: | Alexander Simonpour, Ethan Shaotran, James Burnham |
| Source: | DOGE holds meetings with White House, new postal leadership and Treasury to discuss reforming USPS GovExec, 6/20/25 |
| Agency: | DOGE, USPS |
7/21/25
Identification:
Multiple DOGE staff are listed in the invite for a new meeting for political appointees at the agency which will be held once every two weeks.
Identification:
Multiple DOGE staff are listed in the invite for a new meeting for political appointees at the agency which will be held once every two weeks.
| Question: | Fuzz: Jeremy Lewin is a Deputy Undersecretary at State, but still a GSA employee? |
| Person: | Alexander Simonpour, Dave Malcher, Ethan Shaotran, Frank Schuler, Jeremy Lewin, Justin Fox, Luke Farritor, Marshall Wood, Nate Cavanaugh |
| Source: | State Department deputy Michael Rigas tapped as acting GSA head NextGov, 7/21/25 |
| Agency: | GSA |
10/20/25
Oversight:
Ethan Shaotran files an ethics financial disclosure form that reveals he had very recently sold Palantir stock worth somewhere in the range of $500,000 to $1 million. The timing is unusual, since if he were expected to divest from this stock, the deadline for that would’ve been 90 days from when he was made a fulltime employee of GSA in April 2025.
Oversight:
Ethan Shaotran files an ethics financial disclosure form that reveals he had very recently sold Palantir stock worth somewhere in the range of $500,000 to $1 million. The timing is unusual, since if he were expected to divest from this stock, the deadline for that would’ve been 90 days from when he was made a fulltime employee of GSA in April 2025.
| Person: | Ethan Shaotran |
| Source: | Periodic Transaction Report (OGE 278-T) for Ethan Shaotran Document Cloud, 3/16/26 |
| Agency: | GSA |
1/XX/26
Offboarding:
Offboarding:
| Appointed: | Ethan Shaotran 1/20/25-1/XX/26 |
| Salary: | Volunteer |
| Source: | Elon Musk’s Friends Have Infiltrated Another Government Agency Wired Magazine, 1/31/25 |