Cuban believes private-sector agility can outperform Musk’s DOGE, which relies heavily on Tesla and SpaceX loyalists. His plan hinges on startups selling tech solutions back to the government, despite skepticism about profitability. Federal contracting rules limit outsourcing, and agencies under Musk show little interest in reviving scrapped programs. A former 18F staffer noted Cuban’s firms might need to target state and local contracts first, waiting for a friendlier administration to reopen federal opportunities.
The challenge is steep. Musk’s DOGE has stacked agencies with Silicon Valley allies, prioritizing loyalty over institutional knowledge. GSA’s leadership now includes ex-Salesforce and Tesla executives, while Cuban’s model depends on recruiting displaced federal tech experts. Critics argue the government’s public-service ethos clashes with Cuban’s profit-driven approach, especially after 18F’s financial struggles. The unit, designed to sustain itself through agency fees, reportedly racked up multi-million-dollar deficits, fueling its dissolution.
Cuban remains undeterred, betting streamlined private firms can bypass bureaucratic friction. Success, he claims, requires balancing government contracts with private-sector revenue—a tall order in Musk’s loyalty-first ecosystem. As DOGE leans on tech insiders, Cuban’s experiment tests whether innovation can thrive where public and corporate interests collide.
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