Gumroad

Gumroad founder and CEO Sahil Lavingia joined DOGE on March 17, 2025 as an unpaid software engineer at the Department of Veterans Affairs. He had access to HR data for all 473,000 VA employees including Social Security numbers and compensation. Lavingia worked on modernizing the VA's internal ChatGPT tool (VAGPT) and weighed in on the VA's plans to eliminate 83,000 jobs. He was removed 55 days later after discussing his work with Fast Company.

Gumroad bootstrapped company. Lean team, remote-first.

Gumroad operates with a lean, remote-first team and a transaction-based revenue model that charges fees only when creators make sales, directly aligning company success with creator success. Over 12+ years, the platform has maintained this positioning while surviving multiple market cycles. Founder Sahil Lavingia has been transparent about company financials and operations. The platform's estimated valuation of $100-125 million reflects sustainable niche business rather than hypergrowth.