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1Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches2Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors3Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteSecondary reporting says Mark Cuban suggested that dismissed 18F employees group together to start a government consulting company. The original post and its full wording have not been verified, and the available evidence does not show that Cuban offered to fund the business. The idea is a proposal, not evidence that a firm was formed or won government work.
What was Mark Cuban reported to have suggested?
A Reddit repost referencing TechCrunch attributed to Cuban the idea that fired 18F workers could join together and start a consulting company. Because the original post and its date have not been verified, that wording should be treated as a secondhand account, not a confirmed direct quote. The repost’s title refers to an offer to fund 18F as a private contractor, but the evidence available here does not establish a concrete funding or investment pledge.
Nor does the account establish that the proposed company was created, secured contracts, or could deliver the same services at lower cost. Those outcomes would depend on business formation, agency needs, procurement decisions, and the terms of any work.
How does the federal workforce context fit?
In a separate action, the Trump administration offered federal employees a buyout if they agreed to leave by February 6, 2025. The Associated Press reported on January 29, 2025, that the offer described about eight months of salary. Everett Kelley, president of the American Federation of Government Employees, criticized the offer as pressure on workers. This is relevant context for departures from federal service, but it does not establish that the buyout caused Cuban’s reported suggestion about 18F.
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18F is the group named in the repost; the available sources do not establish the current employment status or number of affected employees. The reported buyout and Cuban’s reported idea should therefore be understood as separate events, not as a single announced transition plan.
Can former federal employees consult for the government?
Federal law does not impose a blanket ban on former employees becoming government contractors or consultants. It does set targeted restrictions for certain former officials and procurement-related situations. Under 41 U.S.C. § 2104, certain former agency officials may not, for one year, accept compensation from a contractor as an employee, officer, director, or consultant in specified circumstances. Covered cases include particular procurement roles or personal decisions involving that contractor and a contract valued above $10 million. That threshold and restriction are limited to the statute’s covered roles and circumstances; they are not a general rule for every former employee or every federal contract.
41 U.S.C. § 2103 separately addresses employment discussions by an official who is personally and substantially participating in a covered procurement. A person considering contractor work should check the facts of their former duties, applicable agency ethics rules, and any other relevant law before accepting a role or pursuing a contract.
What authority do agencies have to hire consultants?
5 U.S.C. § 3109 authorizes an agency head, when permitted by an appropriation or another statute, to procure temporary or intermittent services from experts or consultants by contract. The statutory provision describes temporary services as lasting no more than one year. That authority is subject to applicable authorization and other rules; it does not guarantee that an agency can use a particular firm, that a new company will win work, or that consultants can replace an ongoing federal workforce.
What would determine whether a contractor model makes sense?
A consulting firm’s invoice rate cannot be compared fairly with an employee’s salary alone. A useful assessment would account for the full cost and consequences of each option:
- Total cost: Compare the cost of federal staffing with the full contractor cost, rather than salary alone versus a billing rate.
- Continuity: Consider whether a temporary engagement can preserve institutional knowledge and support work that must continue over time.
- Procurement and competition: Account for the time and process required to buy services, as well as the possibility that other vendors compete for the work.
- Accountability and oversight: Identify how performance, deliverables, and compliance would be monitored.
- Conflicts and access: Evaluate potential conflicts of interest and access to procurement information arising from former government duties.
- Type of work: Distinguish a bounded need for temporary expert advice from ongoing operational work.
The Government Accountability Office’s 1991 review examined compliance and monitoring for expert and consultant appointments. Its report describes later statutory and Office of Personnel Management measures to regulate, document, and monitor appointments, and notes the need to identify cases where consultants cost more than regular employees. That historical oversight record supports careful comparison; it does not establish the cost or value of a proposed 18F firm.
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