# National Design Studio Faces Staffing Questions

A WIRED investigation reports that members of the National Design Studio (NDS), described as a successor to DOGE, are on loan from a nonprofit run by SpaceXAI’s general counsel, which is reportedly paying government-worker salaries. The signals provide no contract documents, named officials, funding amounts, or evidence establishing whether the individuals are federal employees or contractors, or what legal arrangement governs the staffing. A commenter raised a CRADA as one possibility, but that explanation is unverified. No specific solicitation or contract opportunity is identified.

- Procurement and program officials evaluating this arrangement would need to distinguish federal employees from contractor personnel and identify the agreement and funding authority involved; the available reporting does not resolve those points.
- For contractors, the reported use of externally funded personnel raises questions about how staffing, labor costs, and oversight are structured, but the signal does not establish a procurement violation or a competitive opportunity.
- The CRADA reference is speculation, not confirmation that NDS or the nonprofit has entered into such an agreement.

**Jurisdictions:** federal
**Published:** October 07, 2026

### Government Entities
- National Design Studio (NDS)
- DOGE (DOGE)

### Key Quotes
> It may be that they fall under a lesser-known arrangement like a CRADA (which often operates as the government providing the equipment and facilities while the company provides the labor).
> — Community commenter

### Sources
- [A Mysterious Nonprofit Run by SpaceXAI’s Top Lawyer Is Paying the Salaries of Government Workers](https://www.reddit.com/r/fednews/comments/1wzu56d/a_mysterious_nonprofit_run_by_spacexais_top) - reddit-fednews