DOGE’s Ethan Shaotran Now Runs Tech Defense Startup

One of the the first members of the so-called Department of Public Works (DOGE) is in the process of entering its second phase as a defense equipment manufacturer. Ethan Shaotran, one of them young engineers who formed the foundation of the original fighting team, is the founder of a new company called Blitz Industries. The company’s website doesn’t have much information, but in an email seen by WIRED, Shaotran describes Blitz as “a security company backed by big names.”

While at DOGE, Shaotran was part of a team that created a permanent capital in the General Services Administration’s (GSA) offices before they travel across the state. Shaotran, who left Harvard University in his senior year to join DOGE, appeared in several organizations, including GSAand National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administrationand Social Security AdministrationUS Postal Service, US African Development Foundation, and Inter-American Foundation. When Shaotran was in SSADOGE moved thousands of immigrants into the agency’s “Master Death File,” locking out their social security numbers and removing their right to work or receive government benefits.

Shaotran left the federal government in January, according to his LinkedIn, and is now based in Los Angeles. In his bio, Shaotran describes himself as a “Harvard engineer, 4x patent inventor, and published researcher on autonomous systems.” He also writes, “Hiring fast!” in his bio.

The System for Award Management (SAM), a US government procurement site that many contractors and service providers are required to register for, lists a company called “Blitz Industries, Inc.” as recently registered in the system, they are classified under companies that do “Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences (Excluding Nanotechnology and Biotechnology).” A source who used to work at SAM and spoke to WIRED on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisals said that signing up for the system is often a precursor to receiving government contracts.

The address included in the registration is in Hawthorne, California, across the street from SpaceX headquarters. WIRED was able to identify a company called “Blitz Industries, Inc.” which was registered in Delaware on February 12, 2026, about a month after Shaotran left the state. Records from the Delaware registration show an annual tax assessment of $176,986, with 25,000,000 shares authorized. There does not appear to be a registered California corporation for the business, although the office address appears to be in that state.

It is not clear whether Shaotran has previously bought contracts with the government, and he did not respond to a phone call asking questions about the company.

According to a recent report from The Wall Street JournalThe Pentagon is expanding the pool of contractors it wants to work with, paving the way for smaller, newer companies to acquire hundreds of billions of dollars available in the defense budget. Business money poured in more than $49.1 billion the introduction of defense technology only in 2025. The dynamic business company a16z, as part of its American Dynamism practice, has done invested heavily in security initiatives. In March 2025, the company shipped it is original in obtaining contracts with the Pentagon. Gavin Kliger, another young DOGE engineer, is now data officer to the Department of Defense, where he will oversee the agency’s AI strategy.

Don Moynihan, a professor of public policy at the University of Michigan, says that although the US government has the power to expand rapidly and deeply as private businesses, especially those related to weapons and military technology, he has doubts about the company that is led by a former member of the DOGE.