[Natalie Alms at Nextgov/FCW]

I'd say this was an unbelievable own-goal. But, unfortunately, it's believable:

"The General Services Administration deleted 18F, a government tech consultancy that helps other agencies with their technology, early Saturday morning.

The office has been deemed “non-critical,” Thomas Shedd, director of GSA’s Technology Transformation Services, emailed staff at 1am. The agency’s acting head, Stephen Ehikian, told GSA staff Monday that the agency, which works across the government on tech, procurement and real estate, would be conducting a reduction in force."

18F has consistently saved other agencies money, and is seen as an example of modern government that other agencies (and governments) should learn from. It's an insane agency to dismantle.

But the way 18F worked - human-centered, in the open, with a real eye for inclusive change that saved real resources - is antithetical to Musk's mindset of believing yourself to be the smartest person in the room and forcing people to use your systems based on your own values.

Likely, Musk believes that these services should be provided by private companies (like his own) that could profit from it. It’s a backwards, profiteering, grifter-first approach to government services.

Of course, 18F is confronting to Musk in another way too: you can't be the smartest person in the room when those people are also in the room.

Yet another loss to hubris.

#Democracy

[Link]