Mark Cuban Suggests Fired Federal Workers Flip Into Authorities Consultants

Billionaire Mark Cuban has a giant concept for some federal staff who simply misplaced their job: get into consulting. The Common Service Administration fired staff from its 18F workplace on Saturday morning as a part of Donald Trump and Elon Musk’s ongoing trimming down of the federal authorities. After information of the firings hit, Cuban sent out his remedy on Bluesky.

“In the event you labored for 18F and received fired, Group collectively to start out a consulting firm. It’s only a matter of time earlier than DOGE wants you to repair the mess they inevitably create. They should rent your organization as a contractor to repair it. However in your phrases,” Cuban stated. “I’m glad to take a position and/or assist.”

18F was part of the federal authorities that labored to make the net and technological items of D.C. suck much less. They had been public servants working to make sure that nothing just like the Obamacare rollout catastrophe ever happens again. And 18F did good work.

Climate.gov as a usable web site to trace the nation’s climate patterns? That was 18F. The web site we used to order Covid assessments from the federal government through the pandemic? Again, 18F. The IRS’s DirectFile System that permits taxpayers to check in and pay their taxes on-line at no cost? You guessed it, 18F.

“In alignment with the President’s Workforce Optimization Initiative govt order and the latest memo from GSA per the Trump administration requiring slicing ‘non-essential consulting’ capabilities, the 18F workplace has been recognized as a part of this part of GSA’s discount in drive as non-critical,” new GSA commissioner Thomas Shedd said in an email to the staff of 18F who had accomplished such an excellent job making on-line life in America suck just a bit bit much less.

The now-former staff of 18F arrange a fast web site and issued a press release concerning the firings. “This was a shock to all 18F workers and our company companions. Simply yesterday we had been engaged on necessary initiatives, together with bettering entry to climate knowledge with NOAA, making it simpler and quicker to get a passport with the Division of State, supporting free tax submitting with the IRS, and different vital initiatives with organizations on the federal and state ranges,” it said.

And so they promised a brand new future for 18F. “We’re nonetheless absorbing what has occurred. We’re wrestling with what it can imply for ourselves and our households, in addition to the influence on our companions and the American individuals,” it stated.

“However we got here to the federal government to sort things. And we’re not accomplished with this work but.”

Cuban’s suggestion is one doable future for 18F and lots of different former federal staff: going personal. Musk and Trump are destroying massive chunks of how America works, and we’ll all discover out over the following few years simply how integral parts of that infrastructure had been. It received’t be rebuilt in a single day, if ever. And when issues do come again, there’s an excellent probability they’ll be dearer.

The federal government utilizing personal contractors doesn’t make issues cheaper. Consultants make a premium for his or her companies, and if you’ve received a single consumer just like the U.S. authorities with virtually limitless funds, the tendency is to exploit them for all its price. Simply ask all these firms constructing jets and nukes for the Pentagon.

Cuban is pitching a future that’s just like what Musk and Trump need. One the place personal pursuits make a ton of cash off the U.S. taxpayer and nothing is ever accomplished for the higher good however just for the higher revenue. On this scenario, at the very least the nice individuals of 18F may very well be those reaping the rewards.