Marko Elez career and education: The Rutgers University graduate who went from SpaceX and DOGE to racism controversy

A staff member of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE)—led by tech mogul Elon Musk—resigned on Thursday after the White House was questioned about his alleged connection to a social media account linked to racism and eugenics. The staffer in question? 25-year-old Marko Elez. Elez was one of only two DOGE staffers with access to the US Treasury’s payment system, and his resignation came shortly after he was granted limited clearance to a high-stakes Treasury payment infrastructure valued at $5 trillion. According to a Wall Street Journal report, he was linked to an anonymous social media account with a history of promoting discriminatory ideologies and genetic superiority theories.
One resurfaced post from the account contained an offensive statement about Indian professionals in Silicon Valley, reading: “Normalize Indian hate.”Another post suggested that Indian H-1B visa holders would soon be replaced by AI models, stating: “99% of Indian H1B visa holders will soon be replaced by marginally more capable LLMs, so they’ll be heading back soon, don’t worry.”
Once these past statements resurfaced, the posts sparked widespread backlash, ultimately leading to Elez’s resignation. Further, as per Wall Street Journal’s report the now deleted account in question, known as @nulllptr, had previously been registered under the handle @marko_elex.

Elez studied computer science at Rutgers University, where he co-founded Unimetrics.io during his second year—a startup aimed at connecting high school students with experienced mentors to guide them through the college admissions process. His career later took him to SpaceX, where he worked on Starlink’s satellite technology. He then transitioned to X (formerly Twitter), focusing on artificial intelligence advancements.
Elez’s close association with Musk across multiple ventures positioned him in key technological roles, eventually leading to his appointment at DOGE. While his next steps remain uncertain, his resignation has ignited discussions about online accountability and the impact of resurfaced social media activity on professional careers.