Ep 136: OPM Director Scott Kupor on Launching the U.S. Tech Force & Bringing Merit Back to Government

This week, OPM Director Scott Kupor launched the U.S. Tech Force to recruit an elite cohort of engineering talent into the federal government. What will it take to make public service cool again? What can he do to ensure the government hires, fires, and promotes based on performance? And what is he doing on merit and aptitude tests that could be one of the most important reforms of Trump’s entire presidency?

We’re joined by Scott for a timely conversation about Tech Force, his role as Director of the Office of Personnel Management, and key civil service reforms. Previously, Scott built one of the leading venture capital firms as Managing Partner of Andreessen Horowitz. He also penned “Secrets of Sand Hill Road,” a definitive guide for raising capital and navigating the startup world.

We begin our conversation with the importance of Tech Force — a two-year program designed to surge top programmers and designers into Washington, D.C. and create an enduring talent pipeline between the public and private sectors. Next, we explore Scott’s career in Silicon Valley, how he helped build a16z from the ground up, and the lessons he’s bringing to the White House. Then, we dive into his ambitious OPM agenda, starting with addressing rampant performance inflation, improving incentives for top performers, and removing artificial barriers, like years of service or college degrees, so we can get the best talent into the right jobs. Finally, we revisit the Pendleton Act of 1883 and how to bring merit back into civil service. Learn how Scott overturned a consent decree that will allow him to bring aptitude tests back into federal hiring — this could be one of the most consequential achievements of the Trump entire presidency!

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit blog.joelonsdale.com