Modeling DOGE after OpenStack

OpenStack was formed when a handful of us hit the wall with our needs for infrastructure. We needed to move quickly beyond what COTS like VMware could handle. We needed innovation, but that wasn't possible with the old, entrenched stack. Networks were a bottleneck created by the industry to increase their sales numbers, forcing us to rethink what was possible. Even on storage, traditional NAS appliances became a limiting factor; scaling up demanded something new and open.

Innovation Held OpenStack Together

Innovation held OpenStack together. The early days—especially 2010 to 2012—the experience was creative. The mailing lists and chat channels always open and productive, sparking new ideas and projects organically. There wasn't a lot of "top down"—people just built what they needed, and the ecosystem grew fast because companies facing the same scale problems didn't have any better choices. SDN startups saw the momentum, joined up, and brought in real funding and fresh ideas. Meanwhile, the user group meetups were approachable, informal, and fun—there was real energy at those events, keeping people coming back. With the next public event always on the calendar, there was a shared sense of mission that motivated the team to avoid old mistakes, share the smart stuff, and not repeat past failures.

The DOGE Network

The DOGE Network has come together because there's a core group of us who are motivated and creative. A lot of the energy is more research than engineering. More FOIA, than devops. While the X platform brings in a heavy media component, there's a real gap: few conservative tech projects actually get interesting or attract people who want to experiment with new ideas.

DOGE sticks together for the same grassroots reasons OpenStack did: it's ridiculously easy to join, no permission needed. Start with the mailing list, jump on Team DODE community, and instantly feel part of something bigger. It works for both researchers and engineers. Meetups are encouraged, but have not started those yet.

Moving DOGE Forward

Here's what will continue to move DOGE forward:

• Start talking about funding in public and get real sponsors: TPUSA, FIRE, SPN, David Sacks, Elon Musk, Palantir.
• Make the technical stack easy: ML, chat, GitHub org, access to CI/CD, simple tests.
• Focus on onboarding new researchers and encourage people to form local meetup groups—they can self-organize over chat and the mailing list, or connect with local TPUSA reps.
• Add a "Join DOGE" button to every page: Do you want to belong to something bigger? No permission needed. Jump on the main mailing list, chat, view the meetup map, or start a new one.
• If someone wants to contribute code or research, make it frictionless. We need to create an ICLA/CCLA, point people to the relevant chat and mailing lists, get GitHub access, contributor docs, and the option to create entirely new projects.
• For local groups, provide a separate set of how-tos—distinct from statewide organizing.
• Set up a dedicated ML using gaggle.email.
• Refactor the California DOGE front page so it's easy to clone for every state. Make it simple: show local mailing list, message/chat, and meetups. Emphasize belonging, ease of joining, and direct links to key tools.
• Standardize each state's home page: quick links to X handles, state data sources, "how to create a PR," recipe links, DOGE header/footer, and use React for the base template.

The goal is to make joining seamless, organizing intuitive, and contributing rewarding—building a network that's open, connected, and always ready for new ideas