Wired: Nonprofit run by SpaceXAI lawyer pays salaries of government staff

A Wired investigation reported that at least two members of the National Design Studio are on loan to the federal government and are employed by a recently formed nonprofit, the America by Design Foundation. According to Wired, the foundation appears to be run by James Burnham, a former member of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) and the general counsel (top lawyer) of SpaceXAI, the artificial intelligence space company founded by Elon Musk. Wired reported that it is not clear who is funding the foundation or how much money it has.

According to Wired, the National Design Studio is part of the Executive Office of the President and is led by Joe Gebbia, a cofounder of Airbnb, a former DOGE member and the current chief design officer of the US. Wired reported that the White House announced the studio in August 2025 as part of an initiative called America by Design, which an executive order described as "a national initiative to improve experiences for Americans." Wired reported that in the past year the studio launched websites including TrumpRx and RealFood.gov.

Wired reported that documents it reviewed show two NDS members, Amittai Groot and John Cafazza, are employed by America by Design and have been detailed (temporarily assigned) to the Office of Personnel Management. Both men reported to Christina Bonarrigo, who was OPM's chief of staff until last month, according to Wired. Her LinkedIn profile lists her as NDS's chief of staff, according to Wired. Bonarrigo did not respond to a request for comment, according to Wired.

Wired reported that Groot lists himself on LinkedIn as having begun work with NDS in April 2026, the same month documents reviewed by Wired show he began employment with the nonprofit. Don Moynihan, a professor of public policy at the University of Michigan, told Wired: "The fact that we wouldn't know who is employing and paying these people is troubling in any context. Especially in the context where there is a back-and-forth movement from the private sector to the public sector." Wired reported that its findings raise questions about whether NDS, like DOGE, is skirting rules and regulations to bring its chosen staff into government and is functioning as an arm of the tech industry as much as a government initiative.

Wired reported that many DOGE members entered government as special government employees, a designation that lets people work in government for 120 days a year without the full federal hiring process or the usual transparency disclosures. According to Wired, NDS appears to be using a similar strategy by bringing in staff under the Intergovernment Personnel Act, a law that lets people with specialized skills from institutions like universities and nonprofits work in government for up to two years. Wired reported that Edward "Big Balls" Coristine, one of the young engineers who formed the early core of DOGE, is now NDS's head of engineering. Akash Bobba and Zachary Terrell, the chief technology officer at the Department of Health and Human Services, have also been part of both NDS and DOGE, according to Wired.