Billionaire investor Mark Cuban waded into the most recent authorities tech shake-up on Saturday, posting an surprising provide of assist for newly laid-off federal employees on the social community Bluesky.
His message, which rapidly gained traction, urged the displaced engineers and designers to show the upheaval to their benefit.
“If you labored for 18F and received fired, Group collectively to start out a consulting firm,” wrote Cuban. “It’s only a matter of time earlier than DOGE wants you to repair the mess they inevitably created. They should rent your organization as a contractor to repair it. But in your phrases. I’m comfortable to speculate and/or assist.”
Cuban’s provide got here after the federal government’s General Services Administration (GSA) abruptly gutted its 18F know-how unit, which helps different authorities companies construct, purchase, and share tech merchandise. Per Politico, the layoffs affected roughly 70 people who discovered the information round 1 a.m. Eastern time on Saturday. Among different issues, the unit had reportedly constructed Login.gov, a safe and personal method for the general public to entry providers at authorities companies, together with Social Security and the Department of Veterans Affairs.
The early-morning layoffs tie to a Trump administration directive to shrink the federal workforce and slash spending on the behest of Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). The cuts weren’t a primary for 18F; based on Politico, two dozen extra 18F staff have been laid off in February when GSA lower probationary staffers.
Those impacted within the wee hours of Saturday morning additionally acquired emails late Friday from DOGE with the topic line, “What did you do final week? Part II.”
According to Politico, the emails — prompting staff to listing their weekly accomplishments by Monday — have been extensively distributed throughout a number of companies, together with the State Department, the IRS, and the NIH.
In the wake of those new layoffs, Cuban’s proposal presents an intriguing chance: might the very employees pushed out of presidency assist reshape the way forward for civic tech on their very own phrases? As DOGE strikes to dismantle companies, even Musk has acknowledged fallout tied to the pace with which his group is transferring. On Wednesday, Musk shared that, “For instance, with USAID, one of many issues we by chance canceled — very briefly — was Ebola prevention.” (Public well being specialists have since stated the federal government’s assist has not been totally restored.)
The query now could be whether or not some share of the federal government’s rising variety of displaced former staff will seize the second, banding collectively to construct the startups that would sooner or later promote their experience again to the federal government. If so, it might characterize a putting twist within the administration’s efforts to shrink the general public workforce.
If Cuban has his method, a minimum of one such unit could discover itself inside a personal firm the federal government has no alternative however to depend on. Another Bluesky person even had a branding thought for the startup, telling Cuban, “Name the brand new firm 18FU.”
