Mark Cuban offers to help laid-off federal tech workers

Billionaire Mark Cuban has joined the conversation about the recently laid-off tech workers, posting a message of support to those affected. According to his post on the social media website Bluesky, Cuban offered words of support and hinted that he could be open to helping them.

His message, which has since become a talking point among users on and outside the platform, urged the displaced tech engineers and designers to turn their situation around. He also offered to help or invest in any venture that they may have in the future.

“If you worked for 18F and got fired, Group together to start a consulting company,” wrote Cuban. “It’s just a matter of time before DOGE needs you to fix the mess they inevitably created. They will have to hire your company as a contractor to fix it. But on your terms. I’m happy to invest and/or help,” Cuban said.

Mark Cuban wants to help affected federal tech workers

Mark Cuban’s offer to help is coming from the decision of the federal government’s General Services Administration (GSA) to abruptly cut its 18F technology unit. Until the layoffs yesterday, the technology unit was responsible for building, buying, and sharing technology products for other government agencies.

If you worked for 18F and got fired, Group together to start a consulting company. It’s just a matter of time before DOGE needs you to fix the mess they inevitably create. They will have to hire your company as a contractor to fix it. But on your terms. I’m happy to invest and/or help

— Mark Cuban (@mcuban.bsky.social) March 2, 2025 at 3:34 AM

According to a Politico report, the layoffs affected about 70 employees, who received the news around 1 AM Eastern time on Saturday. The report noted that it was part of the moves of the Trump administration to cut the federal workforce, reducing government spending. Laying off federal workers is in line with the directive that United States President Donald Trump has given to the Elon Musk-led Department of Government Efficiency (D.O.G.E).

A GSA manager who spoke anonymously highlighted that the employees affected included user interface engineers, researchers, content and service engineers, and procurement specialists. The 18F department was involved in the creation of key government services like Login.gov, a central login system that houses programs like Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security. According to the report, the cut will touch several agencies, noting that a ripple effect should be expected across the government.

Cuban’s proposal and the community reaction

This is the second time since the beginning of 2025 that the 18F has suffered cuts, with about 24 employees laid off in February when the GSA let probationary staff go, according to Politico. The workers impacted in this round of cut-offs also received the “What did you do last week? Part II” text from the D.O.G.E department. Politico highlighted that the emails, which required users to list their accomplishments for the week, were widely sent out to several agencies.

However, the new opportunity being offered to the laid-off workers by Cuban presents a great chance for them to reshape the future of civic tech on their terms. While the D.O.G.E team has been swiftly working across the board, Elon Musk has noted the fallout tied to the speed with which his team has been moving. For example, with USAID, one of the things we accidentally canceled — very briefly — was Ebola prevention,” Musk said.

The big question now is if a small or big percentage of the displaced workers can band together to build a startup that may one day be required to help the government. If this happens, it could be a huge blow to the Trump administration as the efforts to continually shrink the federal workforce remain ongoing. With Cuban already promising to help, it is only a matter of time before the potential company becomes a much-needed firm that the government may need in the future.

Meanwhile, users on Bluesky have waded into Cuban’s offer, with most of them discussing the pros and cons of the offer. For instance, a user mentioned that he could fund a startup for them and name it 18FU, after the department that they were fired from. A user called the choice to “sell back services to the government” stupid, while another highlighted that anything they would do would be on their terms and not on Cuban’s terms.

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