At least these folks have usable skills…on paper
Mark Cuban offers to fund government tech unit that was cut in the middle of the night
Billionaire investor Mark Cuban waded into the latest government tech shake-up on Saturday, posting an unexpected offer of support for newly laid-off federal workers on the social network Bluesky.
His message, which quickly gained traction, urged the displaced engineers and designers to turn the upheaval to their advantage.
“If you worked for 18F and got fired, Group together to start a consulting company,” wrote Cuban. “It’s just a matter of time before DOGE needs you to fix the mess they inevitably created. They will have to hire your company as a contractor to fix it. But on your terms. I’m happy to invest and/or help.”
Cuban’s offer came after the government’s General Services Administration (GSA) abruptly gutted its 18F technology unit, which helps other government agencies build, buy, and share tech products. Per Politico, the layoffs affected roughly 70 individuals who learned the news around 1 a.m. Eastern time on Saturday. Among other things, the unit had reportedly built Login.gov, a secure and private way for the public to access services at government agencies, including Social Security and the Department of Veterans Affairs.
Hey, how’d that project work out?
Login.gov facing technical difficulties and cost uncertainty, watchdog says
The General Services Administration’s Login.gov, a single sign-on platform that recently made remote identity proofing generally available, needs to address technical challenges concerning the biometric validation pilot program, according to a new government watchdog report.
The Government Accountability Office said that nine of the participating 21 Chief Financial Officers Act agencies reported issues with Login.gov, including lack of fraud controls and visibility into authentications as well as high failure rates. Additionally, eight agencies shared challenges regarding Login.gov’s pricing, including the inability to get a multi-year pricing plan or insight into the service’s annual renewal process, as well as the potential for prices to rise between years.
So, that’s government speak for “it’s not working correctly, it cost a lot of money, no one seems to know what it will cost going forward (why would it cost that much beyond the initial implementation?), and it could lead to lots of fraud. There might be a reason the group was terminated. So, have at them, Mark! Maybe you can hire a bunch of the administration weenies and others who were let go. For all Mark’s caterwauling, you can bet his companies do not have lots of dead wood and unproductive employees, as well as people wanting to do their own thing rather than do what the company is supposed to do. Oh, and waste lots of money.
In the wake of these new layoffs, Cuban’s proposal presents an intriguing possibility: could the very workers pushed out of government help reshape the future of civic tech on their own terms? As DOGE moves to dismantle agencies, even Musk has acknowledged fallout tied to the speed with which his team is moving. On Wednesday, Musk shared that, “For example, with USAID, one of the things we accidentally canceled — very briefly — was Ebola prevention.” (Public health experts have since said the government’s support has not been fully restored.)
It was good to do this for a time, but, now, it is time to work the scalpel instead of the chainsaw. Everything done out of USAID of worth should have shifted to the State Department or another relevant agency. Now it is time to look for the unnecessary, the unproductive, those being wasteful, the incompetent, and those working their own personal agenda.
And they can go find a job in the private sector, with those icky requirements for performance.
— David Frum, 2025
Well shoot, we know all we need to know about Musk, trump and Vance…
I see, this after Biden couldn’t be trusted to support a real ally, Israel. Amazing that Frum conveniently forgets that “the two men who lead the west” vigorously support Israel while the Biden administration, in Frum’s words, supported the world’s most aggressive terror regime.
Funny-did you post this as joke to show the cluelessness of the MSM? Or, it must have been to illuminate a perfect example of hypocrisy, right?
Well, shoot-we’ve known all we need to know about Biden and the MSM
Change the subject much?
President Biden fully supported Israel. Remember how all those Muslim voters delivered Michigan to trump?
Vance and trump made absolutely clear whom they support vis-à-vis Ukraine vs putin.
Russia agrees:
Change facts much? Biden suspended arms shipments, demanded cease-fires (sound familiar?), prodded for a wartime bipartisan cabinet and hammered Netanyahu on collateral damage-none of which Westerners have demanded of Zelenskyy till Trump with the cease fire.
But-we have Zelenskyy the benevolent banning opposition parties, bans TV channels, cancelled elections and suspended the constitution.
No one here ever accused Rimjob of knowing facts.
You’re an idiot. What collateral damage has President Zelenskyy caused? The Ukrainians are still defending their nation from the unprovoked invasion by Russia.
Netanyahu killed 10s of thousands of non-combatants including children. What was his motive?
Do you agree with critics that Vladimir Putin is a dictator, a murderer and war criminal? Or do you agree with Vance/trump that he’s a leader.
Jeff,
Putin is a leader and the Russians I know seem to like him. The Russians were provoked. Z man is not doing right by his people and as usual is fraudulent.
ED: “Do you agree with critics that Vladimir Putin is a dictator, a murderer and war criminal?”
Sure, as soon as you agree with critics that Volodymr Zelensky is a dictator, a murderer, war criminal, and stupid to boot.
Well shoot, we know all we need to know about Rimjob, Galera Therapeutics, and DJThree LLC…
Well shoot, we know all we need to know about Porter and Leith Honda!!
I absotively, posilutely support these former federal employees getting jobs in the private sector, and off the taxpayers’ dime.
Did your company have any government contracts?
Who’s the idiot? It said “hammered Netanyahu on collateral damage”, and of course there’s collateral damage in the Ukrainian war just like any war. You think only combatants have been killed?
“Netanyahu killed 10s of thousands on non-combatants..” Actually, the only reason they were killed is because Hamas invaded Israel and killed over a thousand non-combatants and then continued to fire thousands of rockets at Israel. No invasion of Israel, no killing of non-combatants, it’s really quite simple. But a good one-whining about collateral damage just because one started a war and are losing.