3 ms·

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

23 points by whalesalad 1y ago

evanjrowley 1y ago
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.
_djo_ 1y ago
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.
- jethronethro 1y ago
  In the eyes of DOGE (well, Musk) and the rest of the administration, staying something like that borders on blasphemy.
- baketnk 1y ago
  would you care to discuss the private details of your employers internal workings in a public forum or with a journalist then? no?
  - _djo_ 1y ago
    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.
    - _djo_ 1y ago
      Quick typo correction, employers, not employees.
SkyMarshal 1y ago
Fwiw the associate here is Sahil Lavingia, founder of Gumroad and a longtime HN'er: https://news.ycombinator.com/user?id=sahillavingia https://news.ycombinator.com/user?id=sahillavingia He posted about his experience here: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=44116061 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=44116061

23 points by whalesalad 1y ago

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.

_djo_ 1y ago

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.

jethronethro 1y ago
In the eyes of DOGE (well, Musk) and the rest of the administration, staying something like that borders on blasphemy.
baketnk 1y ago
would you care to discuss the private details of your employers internal workings in a public forum or with a journalist then? no?
- _djo_ 1y ago
  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.
  - _djo_ 1y ago
    Quick typo correction, employers, not employees.

SkyMarshal 1y ago

Fwiw the associate here is Sahil Lavingia, founder of Gumroad and a longtime HN'er: https://news.ycombinator.com/user?id=sahillavingia https://news.ycombinator.com/user?id=sahillavingia He posted about his experience here: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=44116061 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=44116061