[Image: ITVNews / Facebook]
Coders working for DOGE are reported to be editing the code for AutoRIF – a software system designed by the Defense Department to automate the mass firings of federal workers.
The software, named AutoRIF (Automated Reduction in Force), was initially created by the Department of Defense over 20 years ago. Since then, it has undergone several updates and has been adopted by various agencies to streamline workforce reductions.
The Department of Government Efficiency is taking efficiency to a whole new level and according to WIRED, DOGE operatives have gained access to AutoRIF and seem to be modifying its code, with changes made as recently as this past weekend.
According to the article, firing employees has so far been conducted by HR, but Elon is all about removing the human factor, so custom software and AI might do the terminating from now on. Predictably, some government employees fear that large-scale terminations could roll out even more quickly now.
While DOGE could certainly use AutoRIF just as the DOD built it, multiple sources speculated that Musk’s engineers could be building their own software on top of, or using code from, AutoRIF.
Leaked screenshots allegedly show that Riccardo Biasini, a former engineer at Tesla and a director at The Boring Company, has seemingly been tasked with tweaking AutoRIF to DOGE’s requirements, whatever they may be.
Biasini has also been listed as the main point of contact for the government-wide email system dealing with resignation emails from federal workers – which we suppose makes him the terminator’s handler.
A former government HR official tells WIRED, “Even with the use of an automated system, the OPM guidance says all data has to be confirmed manually and that employees (or their representative) are allowed to examine the registers.”
This offers little comfort to employees as Doge prepares for a second major round of layoffs. However, there are mixed signals surrounding even this process. On Saturday evening, government workers received yet another email from the Office of Personnel Management requesting details on their accomplishments over the past week. The FBI however instructed its employees to disregard the email, and shortly after, the Office of Personnel Management also told agencies that they could ignore the request.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) February 25, 2025
Job security is not a term used much by government employees in the US these days.
