Billionaire investor Mark Cuban has stepped in to support recently laid-off federal tech workers, offering to invest in a new consulting firm formed by the displaced employees. His offer came after the General Services Administration (GSA) abruptly shut down 18F, a key government technology unit, in a late-night layoff that affected around 70 employees. Cuban took to the social network Bluesky on Saturday, urging the affected engineers and designers to turn the government upheaval into an opportunity.
“If you worked for 18F and got fired, group together to start a consulting company,” Cuban posted. “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.”
His message quickly gained traction, sparking discussions about the future of civic tech and government outsourcing. The layoffs, which were announced around 1 a.m. on Saturday, were part of a broader federal workforce reduction directed by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), an agency created under the Trump administration and overseen by Elon Musk.
Could Former 18F Employees Reshape Government Tech?
18F was a government tech unit that helped agencies develop and implement technology solutions. The team was behind Login.gov, a secure portal for public access to agencies like Social Security and the Department of Veterans Affairs. Two dozen employees were already cut in February as part of GSA’s workforce reduction. According to Politico, employees received their termination notices in the middle of the night, and many had also received Friday night emails from DOGE titled: “What did you do last week? Part II.”
These emails, requiring employees to list their weekly accomplishments by Monday, were reportedly sent to multiple agencies, including the State Department, IRS, and NIH. Cuban’s offer raises an interesting question: Could the very workers being pushed out of government now reshape the future of government tech from the private sector? As DOGE accelerates its agency cuts, even Elon Musk has acknowledged the unintended consequences. Just this past Wednesday, Musk admitted that the USAID Ebola prevention program was accidentally canceled—briefly—due to rushed downsizing.
Public health experts argue that funding for the program still hasn’t been fully restored. With more experienced government tech workers being displaced, Cubans see an opportunity for former public employees to launch their own independent tech firm—one that the government may eventually have no choice but to rely on. One Bluesky user even proposed a tongue-in-cheek name for the new startup, suggesting: “Name the new company 18FU.”
With the growing number of laid-off government tech workers, Cuban’s backing of a new civic tech startup could be the first step in turning government job cuts into a private-sector business opportunity. Will former 18F employees seize the moment and turn their expertise into a powerful private-sector force? Or will this shake-up weaken the government’s ability to handle its own tech infrastructure in the long run?
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