Everything to know about Vivek Ramaswamy, co-lead of the Department of Government Efficiency with Elon Musk
Vivek Ramaswamy speaks at a Trump rally.
Vivek Ramaswamy became a top supporter of President-elect Donald Trump after his own presidential primary campaign fizzled out.
Now, Trump has tapped Ramaswamy to co-lead a new “Department of Government Efficiency” with Elon Musk, another Trump fan.
But how did Ramaswamy get here? Here’s a look at his background and path to Trump’s inner circle.
Vivek Ramaswamy’s family, early life, and education
Ramaswamy was born in August 1985 in Cincinnati.
His parents, who immigrated from Kerala, India, raised him Hindu, but he attended a Catholic high school. He has a younger brother named Shankar.
Ramaswamy graduated from Harvard University in 2007 with a degree in biology. A self-described contrarian, Ramaswamy thrived academically and moonlighted as a rapper under the name “Da Vek.”
Years later, after making a fortune on Wall Street, he attended Yale Law School. He graduated with a law degree in 2013 though he never intended to practice law.
Ramaswamy married his wife, Apoorva, in 2015. They have two sons, Karthik and Arjun, and a $2 million estate in Upper Arlington, outside Columbus.
Vivek Ramaswamy’s career
Ramaswamy founded a pharmaceutical venture that he led for nearly 10 years before pivoting to politics.
Ramaswamy’s net worth is about $1 billion, according to Forbes. He made his fortune in biotech and pharmaceuticals.
After graduating from Harvard, he worked on Wall Street at QVT Financial, a hedge fund. He made partner by age 28. At the same time, he was attending law school at Yale University, where he befriended JD Vance, Trump’s vice president.
In 2014, Ramaswamy left QVT to found Roivant Sciences, a pharmaceutical venture to develop drugs previously abandoned by other companies.
Ramaswamy stepped out of his role as CEO in 2021 to serve as chairman, a position he held until early 2023, when he stepped down to focus on politics.
In 2021, published a book, “Woke, Inc.,” which explored his position that American capitalism works best without political posturing. He co-founded Strive Asset Management, an “anti-woke” investment fund that garnered support from conservatives like tech billionaire Peter Thiel.
2024 presidential run
Ramaswamy launched his bid for the presidency in February 2023, entering a crowded field of conservatives vying for the GOP presidential nomination that ultimately went to Trump.
He branded himself as a candidate trying to bring American exceptionalism back to the forefront of the national narrative.
Ramaswamy suggested raising the voting age from 18 to 25 because he said Gen Z didn’t have enough national pride. He also suggested they should have to “meet a national service requirement” — such as serving in the military, working as a first responder, or passing a civics test — to access their voting rights.
He also suggested sending US troops to the Mexican border, limiting the Federal Reserve, and shutting down the FBI and the Department of Education.
He dropped out of the race in January and threw his support behind Trump, who has since tapped him to co-lead the Department of Government Efficiency alongside Musk, who previously suggested Ramaswamy would make a good vice president.
Ramaswamy and Elon Musk have often been seen alongside Donald Trump in the wake of his election win.
Department of Government Efficiency appointment
Ramaswamy will team up with Musk to lead DOGE, a non-governmental department tasked with reducing federal funding and bureaucracy.
“I look forward to Elon and Vivek making changes to the Federal Bureaucracy with an eye on efficiency and, at the same time, making life better for all Americans,” Trump said in a statement announcing the effort on November 12.
On X, Ramaswamy said DOGE will be “crowdsourcing examples of government waste, fraud, and abuse.”
“Americans voted for drastic government reform & they deserve to be part of fixing it,” he wrote.
