VA-based DOGE associate gets 'the boot' after publicly discussing his work

nextgov.com

23 points·whalesalad··7 comments

Of all the the organizations in that space that I've had a chance to work IT at, I'd say that VA is one of the best. True, there are some scandals that make headlines every once in a while, but overall the VA runs solid. Considering healthcare is one of the most targeted sectors by ransomware groups, the VA's success is pretty exceptional.

In addition to good leadership, the VA has a large budget to make the right IT investments. The contrast with other helathcare in the US is alarming. Most US residents pay extreme pricess for healthcare, and yet cybersecurity is lacking for these other institutions.

Guessing his superiors at DOGE don't like anyone countering their claims that all of government is irredeemably inefficient and corrupt, as the only thing he said was that he found the VA to be run quite well, and the VA's staff to be competent and motivated.

In the eyes of DOGE (well, Musk) and the rest of the administration, staying something like that borders on blasphemy.

would you care to discuss the private details of your employers internal workings in a public forum or with a journalist then?

no?

Saying, as a government employee, that “Hey, the systems, processes, and people at the VA are pretty okay” is not discussing the ‘private details’ of his employees in any way that could be considered inappropriate.

It’s not like he revealed details from private DOGE strategy meetings or discussions.

Quick typo correction, employers, not employees.

Fwiw the associate here is Sahil Lavingia, founder of Gumroad and a longtime HN'er:

https://news.ycombinator.com/user?id=sahillavingia

He posted about his experience here:

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=44116061

Reply on news.ycombinator.com