Sahil Lavingia Transitions to IRS After DOGE Tenure, Focuses on Taxpayer Software Modernization

Sahil Lavingia, formerly associated with Elon Musk’s self-styled “Department of Government Efficiency” (DOGE), has joined the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) as a career employee, tasked with overseeing online account initiatives for taxpayers. Lavingia’s appointment, confirmed in November, was announced during a recent WIRED Big Interview event alongside Leland Dudek (former acting Social Security Administration commissioner) and David Foote (US Institute of Peace outside counsel). When asked about the IRS’s digital needs, he noted, “I’m working at IRS for online accounts,” with audience members responding enthusiastically in favor of a dedicated mobile app.

DOGE Origins and Early Government Experience

Lavingia’s government career traces back to his involvement with DOGE, the initiative launched to streamline federal agencies. Prior to joining the IRS, he was part of DOGE’s early “strike force,” a cohort of technologists recruited to reform government services. In 2015, he applied to the US Digital Service (USDS, now rebranded as the “US DOGE Service”), despite lacking prior government experience. As a non-technical professional (founder and CEO of Gumroad, a creative marketplace), he was assigned to the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).

At the VA, Lavingia led efforts to modernize agency systems: he deployed an AI tool for coding, advocated for phasing out paper forms entirely, and developed a contract analysis tool to identify redundant spending (“munching” data to flag cost-cutting opportunities). His tenure ended abruptly in May when he spoke to a reporter about his DOGE work, leading to termination.

Disillusionment with DOGE and Government Efficiency Reassessment

Lavingia critiqued DOGE’s organizational flaws, noting a lack of coordination and transparency. He highlighted Steve Davis (Musk’s right-hand man and Boring Company CEO) as the only figure communicating across DOGE teams. “Steve Davis was the only person talking to all the teams,” he recalled, adding that DOGE’s narrative of “government inefficiency” was fundamentally false.

“Many problems stemmed from complex legal and policy requirements, not a deficit in technical expertise,” Lavingia argued. “The government is pretty efficient—just could move faster.”

Post-DOGE Path and IRS Ambitions

Following his VA exit, Lavingia emphasized that DOGE operatives, though diminished in their early “strike force” capacity, remain embedded in federal agencies in full-time roles. Now at the IRS, he plans to spend the next decade modernizing taxpayer-facing software.

“If it doesn’t work out,” he noted, “I might look back and think, ‘I should have made more money doing AI stuff.’” His focus, however, remains steadfast: leveraging technology to enhance government efficiency for taxpayers.

Key Takeaways: Lavingia’s career pivot underscores a shift from DOGE’s disruptive rhetoric to tangible, long-term government service, with a renewed emphasis on systemic software modernization.