DOGE’s Ethan Chautran now runs a defense technology startup

One of The closest members of the so-called Government Efficiency Department (DOGE) is transitioning into his second gig as founder of a defense technology startup. Ethan Chautran, one of Young engineers Forming the core of the group’s early strike force, he is the founder of a new startup called Blitz Industries. The company’s website doesn’t provide any information, but in an email seen by WIRED, Chautran describes Blitz as a “defense company backed by big names.”

While at DOGE, Shaotran was part of the team that created Temporary headquarters in General Services Administration (GSA) offices before spreading across the federal government. Chautran, who dropped out of Harvard during his final year to join DOGE, has appeared at multiple agencies, including GSAthe National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administrationthe Social Security Administrationthe US Postal Service, the African American Development Foundation, and the Inter-American Foundation. while Chautran was in the SSADOGE transferred thousands of immigrants to the agency’s “death master file,” effectively sealing their Social Security numbers and thus removing their right to work or receive government benefits.

Chautran left the federal government in January, according to his LinkedIn, and now resides in Los Angeles. In his bio, Chautran describes himself as a “Harvard engineer, inventor of 4x patents, and published researcher in autonomous systems.” He also writes: “Hiring fast!” In his autobiography.

The System for Award Management (SAM), the U.S. government procurement website where most contractors and awardees are required to register, lists a company called “Blitz Industries, Inc.” It has also recently been registered in the system, and is classified among companies carrying out “research and development in the physical, engineering and life sciences (excluding nanotechnology and biotechnology).” Enrolling in the system is generally a precursor to receiving government contracts, says a source who formerly worked at SAM and spoke to WIRED on the condition of anonymity for fear of retaliation.

The address listed on the filing is in Hawthorne, California, across the street from SpaceX headquarters. WIRED was able to identify a company called “Blitz Industries, Inc.” It was registered in Delaware on February 12, 2026, about a month after Chautran left the federal government. Documents from the Delaware registry indicate an annual tax assessment of $176,986 and 25,000,000 authorized shares. There does not appear to be a registered business entity in California, although the physical address of the office appears to be in that state.

It’s not clear whether Chautran actually has government contracts, and he did not return a phone call requesting an interview about the company.

According to recent reports from The Wall Street JournalThe Pentagon is expanding the pool of contractors it wants to work with, opening the way for smaller, newer companies to gain access Hundreds of billions of dollars Existing in the defense budget project funds flowed More than $49.1 billion in defense technology startups in 2025 alone. The powerful venture firm a16z, as part of the American Dynamics exercise, has done just that Invested heavily in defense startups. In March 2025, the company published Primer Regarding obtaining contracts with the Pentagon. Gavin Kliger, another young engineer from DOGE, is now Chief Data Officer At the Department of Defense, where he will oversee the agency’s artificial intelligence strategy.

Don Moynihan, a professor of public policy at the University of Michigan, says that while the U.S. government has the ability to innovate as quickly and as widely as private companies, especially with regard to weapons and military innovation, he has doubts about a company led by a former member of the Defense Department.