Rampin’ Up, Baby! That Thiel Start Up Hunting the Motherlode Contract is Inside Treasury

An important story emerged two days ago from ProPublica but didn’t receive the attention it deserved due to other ongoing events. The story revolves around Ramp, a corporate credit card processing start-up backed by Peter Thiel. The company aims to take over the government’s $700 billion internal expense card program, SmartPay, with the involvement of Trump and Musk. Meetings were facilitated by Josh Gruenbaum, a private equity executive appointed as the chief acquisitions officer at the GSA by Trump and Musk. Ramp utilizes AI to monitor spending, presenting a plan to seize control of the financial architecture, discredit it through media manipulation, and secure contracts for their own benefit.

Ramp, having raised $2 billion from investors like Peter Thiel and the Kushner family, seeks substantial opportunities for growth. The company eyes managing payments for Social Security recipients and other government programs disbursing funds to individuals. Recent developments involving Roland Shen, linked to Ramp, at the Treasury Department’s Bureau of Fiscal Service raise suspicions. Shen’s sudden access to payment systems hints at potential insider dealings to secure lucrative government contracts. Shen’s connection to Ramp through his LinkedIn profile suggests a conflict of interest, as he may still hold a position at the company while working at the government agency.

In the past, civil servants selected contractors through competitive bidding processes, though exceptions for no-bid contracts existed. Having an employee like Shen pre-scouting the environment could benefit a company vying for a contract. Shen’s unresponsiveness to inquiries and the disappearance of his LinkedIn profile raise further questions about the situation.