Elon Musk Chief Nerd's Elaborate $1,000 Troll Scam
Among Elon Musk's nerd army is trolling his new fans by charging $1,000 to read a manifesto about why he joined DOGE - only to find the post is blank.
Gavin Kliger, 25, is one of 6 baby-faced kids with little-to-no government experience handpicked by the 'First Buddy' to sow havoc in the civil service.
He was the one who sent a company-wide email sent to employees at USAID telling them not to come into the firm's Washington DC head office on Monday.
Kliger sent out the guideline from a USAID email address he was provided with as part of top-level access to its systems, in addition to fellow DOGE nerd Luke Farritor.
While the staff were kept home, DOGE gained access to the company's IT system, constructing security, and classified materials, and began dismantling it.
Just hours before he sent out the email, Kliger made a post on his Substack page titled: 'Why DOGE. Why I gave up a seven-figure income to conserve America.'
Unlike the rest of his Substack, the post was 'customer only' with a $1,000-a-month cost - or $10,000 for a whole year - to access a single word of it.
However, those who were curious enough to cough up the discovered there wasn't even that - the post was completely blank.
Gavin Kliger, 25, is one of 6 baby-faced kids with little-to-no federal government experience handpicked by Elon Musk to sow havoc in the civil service
Kliger made a post on his Substack page titled: 'Why DOGE. Why I gave up a seven-figure salary to conserve America'. Despite a $1,000 paywall, it is totally empty
'Poetically blank, please review your life options,' one discuss the post read.
Kliger enhanced his intricate trolling with a strange voicemail welcoming that pointed anybody who called his registered contact number to the post.
'I just composed a lovely Substack on this, the Weekly Byte, if you just go there, it lags the paywall, however I believe it will respond to that concern for you ... it's respectable,' he said.
The one-minute greeting was a lengthened variation of the trick where the owner of the phone pretends to address, however it is in fact tape-recorded.
Kliger initially pretended he was driving through a tunnel and having trouble hearing the call, then eventually exclaiming, 'They said what? No, no, I don't think that's right.'
The tape-recorded message then made its pitch for the caller to read his Substack.
Despite its name, the Substack was not upgraded weekly, and just has two other posts - both of which are complimentary to check out.
Despite its name, Kliger's Substack was not updated weekly, and just has 3 posts
Unlike the rest of his Substack, the post was 'subscriber only' with a $1,000-a-month fee - or $10,000 for a whole year - to access a single word of it
They are both strident defenses of Donald Trump's most controversial cabinet nominations - Matt Gaetz and Pete Hegseth.
Gaetz was chosen for attorney-general but withdrew after a damning House report found he paid for sex with 17-year-old lady and numerous other misbehaviors.
Kliger's post titled 'The Curious Case of Matt Gaetz: How the Deep State Destroys Its Enemies' depicted Gaetz as an innocent victim who was 'framed'.
His other post, 'Pete Hegseth as Secretary of Defense: The Warrior Washington Fears', was a passionate defense of the former Fox News host's election filled with frequent Trump-ally talking points.
Hegseth was narrowly validated by the Senate in spite of his history of alcohol abuse and claims of sexual attack and harassment.
Kliger's claim that he left a 'seven-figure task' to join DOGE is also suspicious as his private sector work history didn't consist of such a role.
His most current job, according to his LinkedIn, was as a 'senior software engineer' at Databricks, a cloud computing company in San Francisco, from May 2020 to last month.
Salaries for that position at Databricks vary from $102,000 to $308,000 a year according to Certainly, while Glassdoor puts the top end at $321,000, consisting of benefit.
Kliger was the one who sent out a company-wide email sent to staff members at USAID telling them not to come into the company's Washington DC head office on Monday
The Berkeley graduate apparently advised all staff members at the agency not to go back to Washington head office on Monday
Kliger finished from the University of California, Berkeley, in 2020 and interned at Twitter in 2019 - well before Musk's takeover in 2022.
Musk last month selected him a special consultant to the director for details technology at the Office of Personnel Management, where numerous other Musk lackeys were installed.
The Tesla owner has actually essentially taken control of the OPM, in addition to the General Services Administration, through his management of DOGE.
Kliger's now-deleted Github from his time at Berkeley claims he is an Eagle Scout, National Merit Scholar, National AP Scholar, a black belt very first dan in Taekwondo, and wiki.monnaie-libre.fr an accomplished pianist.
'I want to do work that will influence the future,' it read.
'Whether that implies establishing software application, researching system deployment, or working in some other sphere, I understand that I will contribute insight and imagination towards fulfilling the challenges I deal with.
'In my extra time, I enjoy playing the piano and clarinet and going to music concerts at Berkeley. Among my preferred pastimes is playing online blitz chess.'
Kliger's daddy, Larry Kliger, is president of Lawrence Allen & Associates, a commercial property company.
Musk last month designated Kliger an unique advisor to the director for details technology at the Office of Personnel Management, where many other Musk lackeys were installed
Who are Musk's other nerds?
Musk got a troupe of young guys aged 19 to 25 - 3 of whom are thought to still remain in college - to fill high-powered engineering roles and cut expenses.
At simply 19, Edward Coristine is the youngest of the fresh-faced lot taking on corporate America and longstanding government institutions.
According to WIRED, he's been called an 'professional' in his field, and specifics about his role aren't yet clear.
Akash Bobba, 21, Ethan Shaotran, 22, and Luke Farritor, 23, together with Coristine, have actually reportedly been approved A-suite level clearance for their work, implying they can work out of the firm's top flooring with access to all physical areas and IT systems.
Musk's DOGE has actually been quickly growing in power and broadening its remit, most recently securing clearance to access to limited parts of the General Services Administration buildings and IT systems.
These systems keep sensitive data including social security numbers, addresses and contact details.
Elon Musk employed a performers of young guys aged 19 to 25 - 3 of whom are believed to still remain in college - to fill high-powered engineering roles and cut expenses
Finally, Gautier Cole Killian has been named for his function with DOGE, which is supposedly on a 'volunteer' basis at this phase.
After widespread criticism about the men's youth, Musk launched a declaration about the visits.
'Time to admit: Media reports saying that DOGE has some of world's best software application engineers remain in truth true,' Musk composed on X.
Luke Farritor, 23
Luke Farritor has a known link to Musk currently, having interned for SpaceX prior to landing his new gig.
Farritor, left of the University of Nebraska in order to start working for Nat Friedman, the Silicon Valley entrepreneur behind GitHub.
Friedman explained Farritor as 'a national treasure' after his consultation with DOGE was revealed.
He won part of a $700,000 reward in 2024 after utilizing AI technology to assist decipher a 2,000 year old file - part of the Vesuvius scrolls from Pompeii - which researchers had been attempting, asteroidsathome.net and failing, to solve for centuries.
The charred scroll was thought burnt beyond acknowledgment.
Luke Farritor has a recognized link to Musk already, having interned for SpaceX prior to landing his new gig
Edward Coristine, 19
The youngest of Musk's elite squad is just 19 and a trainee at Northeastern University in Boston.
Coristine apparently interned at Musk's Neuralink for three months last summer season, after graduating high school.
Little is understood about Coristine's function at DOGE, nevertheless he is listed as an 'expert.'
WIRED mentioned sources alleging Coristine has actually been conducting calls with staff in the department and making them 'review code they had composed and validate their tasks.'
Employees were presumably puzzled by his addition in the conferences, and later expressed concerns that they were not correctly informed on his identity or role, even during the call.
Coristine's dad, Charles, is the primary executive of popcorn empire, LesserEvil. Coristine when worked as a group member for the brand name.
Up till just recently, Coristine apparently used a social media deal with named '@EdwardBigBaller.'
The youngest of Musk's elite squad is simply 19 and a trainee at Northeastern University in Boston
Akash Bobba, 21
Bobba is another 'expert' within the department still studying at the University of California, Berkeley.
According to a previous LinkedIn account, which has actually given that been erased, Bobba was an investment engineering intern at a hedge fund.
He had actually likewise previously interned for Meta and Palantir - who was established by 2016 MAGA donor, Peter Thiel.
Just 6 years ago, Bobba was the organizer behind the Princeton Junction, New Jersey, local model United Nations. His daddy is an academic in computer system science.
Bobba spoke at his graduation event from West Windsor-Plainsboro South High School in July 2021, informing his schoolmates to 'appreciate the complexity in life'.
" We live in an age where simplicity rules supreme, where 30-second TikToks and 280-character tweets pertain to specify our identities,' he said.
'This increasing desire to streamline even the most intricate narratives into marvelous bits, perpetuates false information and while doing so divides the communities, households, and relationships we value.
'What's the option, you might ask? Seek pain.'
Bobba is another 'expert' within the department still studying at the University of California, Berkeley
Ethan Shaotran, 22
Shaortran founded Energize AI - a scheduling assistant for specialists. The startup made a $100,000 grant from OpenAI in 2023.
The 22-year-old said in September he was a senior at Harvard University, and was operating in the school's computing lab on autonomous automobiles.
Musk is notoriously attempting to establish self-driving vehicles at his Tesla headquarters.
Shaortran becomes part of the Harvard Mountaineering Club and worked as a scuba divemaster in Hawaii over a gap year.
He likewise has a link to Musk, having taken part in his xAI 'hackathon'. He and his group were runner ups after they utilized xAI's Grok to develop possible reactions from X fans to a theoretical question.
Shaortran established Energize AI - a scheduling assistant for specialists. The startup made a $100,000 grant from OpenAI in 2023
Gautier Cole Killian, 24
Killian was working as an engineer at Jump Trading, which specializes in high-frequency monetary trades and algorithms.
Now, he is supposedly working as a 'volunteer' with DOGE, although in what capacity remains uncertain.
The 24-year-old finished McGill University.
Killian was working as an engineer at Jump Trading, which focuses on high-frequency financial trades and algorithms
Welcome to MAGALAND: Insider Trump's Second 100 Days - The podcast bringing you the current news and gossip from the White House. Listen here.
Musk's DOGE boasts sweeping power
Musk is leading an amazing civilian evaluation of the federal government with Trump's arrangement.
'It emerged that it's not an apple with a worm it in,' Musk said in a live session on X Spaces early Monday.
'What we have is just a ball of worms. You have actually got to generally eliminate the entire thing. It's beyond repair.'
Musk just recently hinted he was likewise the mastermind behind Trump's decision to purge federal workers by publishing a symbolic photo on X harkening back to his notorious Twitter cleanse.
At the time, he sent out a letter to personnel titled: 'A Fork in the Road.' The exact same title was utilized in Trump's current email proposing generous lay-off bundles
Musk later on shared on X that he commissioned an artwork of a huge fork standing in the roadway, suggesting it was all linked.
Musk does not hold chosen office, however on Monday was officially appointed a 'unique civil servant' by the White House.
NOW LISTEN: Welcome to MAGALAND is our new podcast - where White House insiders expose whats actually going on behind the scenes in the new Trump administration. Listen on Apple and Spotify now.
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