The billionaire investor Mark Cuban went to the last technological jolt of the government on Saturday, publishing an unexpected supply of support for federal workers recently fired in the Bluesky social network.
His messageThat he quickly gained traction, urged engineers and designers displaced to turn agitation for their benefit.
“If he worked for 18F and was fired, Grupe together to start a consulting company,” Cuban wrote. “It’s just a matter of time before Doge needs to fix the disaster they inevitably created. They will have to hire their company as a contractor to solve it. But in your terms. I am happy to invest and/or help. “
Cuban’s offer occurred after the Government General Services Administration (GSA) abruptly destroyed its 18F technology unit, which helps other government agencies to build, buy and share technological products. By politicalThe layoffs affected approximately 70 people who learned the news around the east time of 1 am on Saturday. Among other things, the unit had built login.gov, a safe and private form for the public to access services in government agencies, including Social Security and the Department of Veterans Affairs.
Early layoffs in the morning are related to a directive of the Trump administration to reduce the Federal Labor Force and cut the expense at the request of the Efficient Department of the Government of Elon Musk (Doge). The cuts were not the first for 18F; According to Politico, two more than 18F employees were fired in February when GSA cut the test staff.
Those affected in the early hours of Saturday morning also received Electronic emails on Friday night with the matter line: “What did you do last week? Part II. “
According to Politic, emails, which leads employees to enumerate their weekly achievements for Monday, were widely distributed in several agencies, including the State Department, IRS and NIH.
Following these new layoffs, Cuban’s proposal presents an intriguing possibility: could the workers themselves expelled from the government help to re -stress the future of civic technology in their own terms? As Dege moves to dismantle the agencies, even Musk has recognized the consequences linked to the speed with which his team is moving. On Wednesday, Musk shared that, “for example, with Usaid, one of the things that accidentally canceled – Very briefly – Ebola prevention was. (Public health experts have said that government support has It has not been completely restored.
The question now is whether any percentage of the growing number of government displaced employees will seize the moment, joining to build the new companies that one day could sell their experience to the government. If so, it would represent a surprising turn in the efforts of the administration to reduce public workforce.
If Cuban goes out with his, at least one of those units can be found within a private company in which the government has no choice but to trust. Another bluesky user even had a brand idea for the startup, Tell Cuban“Name the new company 18FU”.