The National Design Studio (NDS), led by Airbnb co-founder Joe Gebbia, has launched as a new entity within the Executive Office of the President to redesign U.S. government websites with a focus on aesthetics and user experience. Gebbia, who serves as the country's chief design officer, says the goal is to create platforms that are "beautifully designed" and offer a "great user experience." The initiative bears strong similarities to the earlier Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), which wound down after Elon Musk left government in June 2025. NDS retains some DOGE team members, including Edward "Big Balls" Coristine, now head of engineering, and Akash Bobba, both of whom were part of DOGE's core group of young engineers. Coristine, who was 19 when he joined and had reportedly been terminated from a prior internship over suspected data leaks, now leads NDS's technical team.
The hiring process for NDS has raised questions. One engineer who was interviewed for a role said the process felt unstructured and overly casual, with no formal application pathway on the NDS website or presence on USAJobs, the official federal hiring portal. Instead, recruitment appears to occur through direct outreach, such as cold messages from Coristine. Bobba maintained an unpaid role at the Office of Personnel Management until March 7, 2026, more than six months after reportedly joining NDS, according to court documents. Zachary Terrell, chief technology officer at the Department of Health and Human Services, also contributes to NDS, his website states. The White House, NDS, HHS, and OPM did not respond to requests for comment.
The absence of a formal hiring process and overlapping roles across agencies makes it difficult to determine how NDS operates within federal employment rules. This lack of transparency echoes earlier concerns about DOGE's structure and accountability.
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