Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) has placed three private equity and finance professionals within the Social Security Administration (SSA) as part of President Donald Trump’s push to eliminate waste and fraud in the country’s social insurance programmes, according to a report by Bloomberg.
The report cites unnamed sources familiar with the matter as revealing that the trio are: Antonio Gracias, founder of Valor Equity Partners and former Tesla board member; Scott Coulter, formerly of Lone Pine Capital; and Michael Russo, formerly of Shift4.
These appointments underscore the growing influence of private-sector executives in reshaping the SSA, a key focus of Musk’s government cost-cutting initiative.
President Trump recently bypassed over 150 higher-ranking officials to appoint Leland Dudek, a mid-level anti-fraud specialist, as acting commissioner of Social Security. Dudek has collaborated closely with DOGE, facilitating the entry of Russo and Coulter into the agency, according to a sworn statement by Tiffany Flick, former SSA chief of staff, who resigned following Dudek’s promotion.
Russo, who joined the SSA on 3 February, now serves as the agency’s Chief Information Officer. He also recruited Akash Bobba, a former Palantir Technologies intern, to analyse Social Security data.
Flick’s statement notes irregularities in Bobba’s hiring process. His background check faced delays, and Flick claims she was pressured by Russo and Steve Davis — who leads Musk’s Boring Company and is also working with DOGE — to grant Bobba security credentials by midnight on 10 February. Bobba was sworn in over the phone, a departure from standard protocol, according to Flick.
While DOGE’s specific objectives remain unclear, Flick suggested the team is investigating fraud allegations she considers “invalid.”
President Trump has repeatedly cited Social Security fraud as a major issue, claiming that millions of individuals over 100 years old are still collecting benefits.
SSA representatives, along with Russo, Gracias, Coulter, Bobba, and Davis, did not respond to requests for comment.
