“I wrote in a blog a while ago that the incoming Biden administration had established a landing team to look at the U.S. Digital Service, which I thought was significant because such small agencies would not often get their own transition teams. It suggested to me an interest in civic tech in the new administration. Then, soon afterwards, an editorial in Business Week called for expanding USDS and 18F, the digital consultancy that is part of the General Services Administration. To me, this seemed like very good news for the role of tech in the new administration.
I have written a number of times over the years on these two organizations, generally in quite a sympathetic way.”
“The government faces a severe tech talent crisis, with compensation far below that for tech jobs in the private sector, and a “cool” factor dwarfed by startups. In an environment where recruiting high-class tech talent was daunting, I noted even before USDS and 18F were conceived that perhaps the government shouldn’t even try to recruit young techies as career feds, but instead entice some to do a time-limited “stint” in public service. That was the model chosen by these two organizations. And with the growth of interest in what came to be known as “civic tech” on the part of some young people – the wish to use their tech talents for the public good – created a genuine niche for these two organizations in the federal government, alongside “Code for America,” a non-profit organization focused on local government.”
“I was worried from the beginning about culture clashes between kids in hoodies and older feds in suits, but I saw evidence that these were being overcome with time.”
“Given that, a series of messages to me soon after my one-liner about Business Week and civic tech hit like a stomach punch…” Read the full article here.
Source: Two tech titans take on 18F and USDS – By Steve Kelman, February 10, 2021. FCW.
