Billionaire investor Mark Cuban waded into the most recent authorities tech shake-up on Saturday, posting an sudden supply of assist for newly laid-off federal staff on the social community Bluesky.
His message, which rapidly gained traction, urged the displaced engineers and designers to show the upheaval to their benefit.
“For those who labored for 18F and obtained fired, Group collectively to begin 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. However in your phrases. I’m blissful to speculate and/or assist.”
Cuban’s supply got here after the federal government’s Common Companies Administration (GSA) abruptly gutted its 18F expertise unit, which helps different authorities companies construct, purchase, and share tech merchandise. Per Politico, the layoffs affected roughly 70 people who realized the information round 1 a.m. Jap time on Saturday. Amongst different issues, the unit had reportedly constructed Login.gov, a safe and personal manner for the general public to entry companies at authorities companies, together with Social Safety and the Division 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 Division of Authorities Effectivity (DOGE). The cuts weren’t a primary for 18F; in accordance with Politico, two dozen extra 18F workers had been laid off in February when GSA minimize probationary staffers.
These impacted within the wee hours of Saturday morning additionally obtained emails late Friday from DOGE with the topic line, “What did you do final week? Half II.”
In line with Politico, the emails — prompting workers to checklist their weekly accomplishments by Monday — had been extensively distributed throughout a number of companies, together with the State Division, the IRS, and the NIH.
Within the wake of those new layoffs, Cuban’s proposal presents an intriguing risk: might the very staff 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 unintentionally canceled — very briefly — was Ebola prevention.” (Public well being consultants have since stated the federal government’s assist has not been absolutely restored.)
The query now could be whether or not some share of the federal government’s rising variety of displaced former workers will seize the second, banding collectively to construct the startups that would sooner or later promote their experience again to the federal government. If that’s the case, it could characterize a putting twist within the administration’s efforts to shrink the general public workforce.
If Cuban has his manner, at the very least one such unit could discover itself inside a non-public firm the federal government has no selection however to depend on. One other Bluesky consumer even had a branding thought for the startup, telling Cuban, “Title the brand new firm 18FU.”
