Gautier “Cole” Killian, a 24-year-old former student at McGill University, has been identified as a member of Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) team, where he is listed as a volunteer in a report in WIRED Magazine, published on the weekend.
Killian’s involvement with DOGE has drawn attention, as reported by POLITICO, due to the team’s role in slashing government spending, restructuring federal agencies and accessing sensitive government data, despite the lack of government experience among the six team members: Akash Bobba, 21, a student at the University of California, Berkeley; Edward Coristine, 19, a student at Northeastern University in Boston; and Ethan Shaotran, 22, who said in September that he was a senior at Harvard, as well as Luke Farritor, 23, who attended the University of Nebraska without graduating; Gavin Kliger, a 25-year-old who attended Berkeley, and, Killian.
His educational background includes graduating from high school and attending McGill University in Montreal. An archived McGill profile for a “Cole Killian” lists him as a Bachelor of Science student majoring in math and computer science with a research focus in “exploring the unique properties of Decentralized Autonomous Organization on online organizations structures.”
In response to the media attention he has been receiving, social media profiles for Killian appear to have been deleted, reports WIRED magazine. “According to a copy of his now-deleted resume obtained by WIRED, he attended McGill University through at least 2021 and graduated high school in 2019.”
Killian has a working email associated with DOGE, where he is currently listed as a volunteer, according to internal records reviewed by WIRED. He appears in the Environmental Protection Agency’s online directory as a “Federal Detailee,” a designation usually used for someone temporarily working at the agency on assignment from elsewhere in the federal government.
“An archived copy of his now-deleted personal website indicates that he worked as an engineer at Jump Trading, which specializes in algorithmic and high-frequency financial trades,” reports WIRED.
Jump Trading is an online trading firm with 13 international offices, which states on its website that it “empowers exceptional talents in Mathematics, Physics, and Computer Science to seek scientific boundaries, push through them, and apply cutting-edge research to global financial markets.”
The exact details of how Killian started working for Musk and the DOGE are not explicitly stated in any available information, reports WIRED.
Musk’s approach to developing the DOGE team has involved engaging young, tech-savvy individuals, stating they will play key roles in streamlining government operations and cost-cutting within the U.S. civil service.
His specific role within DOGE is not detailed anywhere, but Killian’s background in high-frequency trading at Jump Trading and his education at McGill University may have contributed to his selection. His skills and experience would have been attractive for a team focused on optimizing government operations through technology.
His expertise in algorithms and financial markets aligns with the goals of DOGE, as reported by Yahoo, which aims to modernize government efficiency using innovative technological solutions.
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