Landing the IRS: How Sam Corcos Modernized Tech — Modern Wisdom (10m)

Hook: One man’s push for technical leadership and procurement reform could be the difference between a maze and a machine at the IRS. This condensed 10-minute summary (from the original 3-hour episode) with host Chris Williamson and guest Sam Corcos breaks down IRS modernization, contractor bloat, legacy systems, and the cultural fixes needed to make government tech work. You’ll learn why staffing engineers in engineering roles, fixing procurement incentives, and treating software as continuous maintenance — not a one-time build — are central to reform. Sam explains concrete actions he took (including replacing IT decision-makers, canceling contracts, and preserving useful mainframe functions), the challenges of hiring under salary caps, and realistic timelines for data integrity. Keywords: IRS modernization, procurement reform, legacy systems, government IT, tech leadership. Listen now to get the key ideas in minutes.