Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) is set to host a “hackathon” next week aimed at developing a “mega API” for accessing Internal Revenue Service (IRS) data, according to reports from Wired. The proposed API is intended to facilitate the transfer of IRS data into a cloud platform—potentially a third-party one—serving as the “read center” for the agency’s systems.
Wired notes that the hackathon will bring together “dozens” of IRS engineers in Washington, D.C., to work on the API. Among the third-party providers under consideration is Palantir, a firm known for its extensive data collection, government surveillance, and analytical services. DOGE aims to complete the development of the API within 30 days, a timeline that one IRS employee described to Wired as “not technically possible” and claimed could “cripple” the IRS.
According to Wired, the individuals leading the DOGE effort are 25-year-old Gavin Kliger and health-tech CEO Sam Corcos. On March 1st, The Washington Post reported that Corcos had urged the IRS to lift limitations on Kliger’s access to agency systems and proposed an agreement to share IRS data across different governmental departments.
A letter dated March 14th from Senator Ron Wyden and others indicates that the IRS did not acquiesce to DOGE’s requests, praising the agency for their “rightful rejection.” The letter also references another Post article suggesting that officials from the Trump administration intended to use IRS data to bolster their immigration enforcement efforts and government efficiency initiatives.
One source quoted by Wired pointed out that comprehensively understanding and structuring the IRS data that DOGE seeks could take years, stressing that “these people have no experience, not only in government but in the IRS or with taxes or anything else.”
DOGE has been navigating its way through federal agencies since shortly after Trump’s inauguration in January. Recent initiatives have involved the Federal Trade Commission and the Federal Communications Commission, and as of Friday, the department gained access to data maintained by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, which handles legal immigration matters.
