This is why you start a project by listening to users and the people who have been doing the work. If you’re too arrogant to listen, you will miss the point and solve the wrong problem. Thanks again Matt!

ICYMI: This weekend, we published the @wired.com guide to digital opsec for teens (tho it applies to pretty much everyone!) We hope you and the kids in your life will read it and stay safe out there. No paywall! @lhn.bsky.social and JP Aumasson report: www.wired.com/story/digita...

The "DOGE is gone" articles are clickbait but this one gets it closer to the truth: DOGE is not gone, it just claims to have "no centralized leadership" anymore -- in other words, its leadership is hiding in an attempt to avoid blame.

Thank you for putting in your skill and attention into making digital experiences better for the whole public. I also hold out hope for a future where the government wants to build quality services.

The administration has pulled the plug on IRS Direct File, a tool that helped eligible taxpayers file for free. This decision comes despite Direct File’s immense popularity with its users.

Our friends at @usdigitalresponse.org are hosting the 2025 Digital Service Champions Awards to recognize folks doing great work in #civictech. Nominations close this Friday, October 10. ⏳ Government awards: usdr.link/champions-government Individual awards: usdr.link/champions-individual

"The inspector general’s office for the General Services Administration ... said it will look at the impact of several DOGE-backed projects at GSA—including its mass termination of government leases and its decision to shutter its tech office 18F."

New legislative branch data map courtesy of the Congressional Data Task Force & Congressional Data Coalition: github.com/LibraryOfCon... kudos Steve Dwyer + @americalabs.org #opengov #opendata

Shot: "The last [18F] report urged the courts to 'start small.'" Chaser: "In mid-2022, the administrative office awarded a five-year, $298 million contract to General Dynamics Information Technology." www.nytimes.com/2025/09/03/u...

The resignation letter that the government does not want you to see

"Young stressed that those working on digital tools within the federal government 'have a responsibility to the security and privacy of the public.'" @not-young.bsky.social

This week, I’m honoring the State Dept foreign and civil servants whose service was cut short. No one can take away their impact.. in every flag they stood beside, the rooms where diplomacy took shape, and the global ties they built. We will feel this loss for years. Images from my last visit.

The Ku Klux Klan Acts (passed in 1870 & 1871 to protect 14th amend rights) were particularly focused on masked gunmen who violated the civil rights of Black people. We should remember this history when masked law enforcement ofcrs are deployed in our communities. open.substack.com/pub/sherrily...

A top House Democrat is asking Microsoft for information about a DOGE staffer's GitHub account connected to whistleblower allegations of sensitive data leaving the National Labor Relations Board.

“Systems break and it takes days to fix them because no one is left who knows how,” they said. It’s making modernization projects take longer because of time dedicated to “putting out fires” where “the guy who knows how to fix it is gone.” www.nextgov.com/modernizatio...

When it comes to handling sensitive systems and data, we believe government officials should follow best practice and the law—and we said so. (Text in🧵)

I talked to Fedscoop about how 18F is fighting back against DOGE’s dangerously naive approach to efficiency and security. fedscoop.com/radio/lindsa...

My invitation (not really optional!) to be questioned by DOGE came in without a name. During the interrogation, I was scared to share too much, and scared to share too little. It turns out I shouldn't have worried about how to protect our work. It was impossible.

Our appeal to the U.S. Merit Systems Protection Board seeks to hold the administration accountable for its actions and defend the rule of law.

"Former 18F director Lindsay Young ... is concerned that Doge’s cuts will have long-lasting effects on government functions. 'In government, it’s just so much easier to tear things down than it is to build things up,' Young said." @not-young.bsky.social

Here’s a picture of the FEC launch cake from “back in the day” - this came up at our #CfASummit session today. Launching the new FEC.gov on my birthday was one of my favorite 18F memories!

Getting ready for our panel- You can carry on where 18F left off! #CfASummit

We have some news to share with you. 🥄 Today we took legal action to challenge our termination, filing an appeal with the U.S. Merit Systems Protection Board. We did this because we believe the elimination of 18F violated safeguards that exist to protect a nonpartisan civil service.

If you are going to #CFASummit this week, come to our session Thursday “You can carry on where 18F left off!” 18F wasn’t just a box on an org chart. There were a lot of good people and we had a way of working that led to real results. summit-widget.codeforamerica.org/agenda/sessi...

"[18F's] ideals and practices are things that we can adopt in our work wherever we are—working in the open, admitting when we’re wrong and how we’re doing better, improving stuff iteratively, documenting our lessons, and being willing to share what we’re learning with others." — @ronbronson.com

BREAKING: we won! A federal judge has enjoined the administration's shut down of Voice of America Another success for the Constitution and for us @sddaction.bsky.social & our many wonderful partners & clients More details to follow--stay tuned!

@alt18f.bsky.social saved taxpayers billions, modernized digital services, and made government work better. 💡Now, DOGE has shut it down—eliminating projects that served voters, refugees, military personnel, and more. Read about 18F’s impact ⬇️ 🔗 www.wethebuilders.org/posts/what-i... #altgov #18f

Also while technical folks are great, we had a world class team of career fed account managers & federal acquisition experts also embedded who understood the minefields and were legitimately indispensable to doing this work. Without them, none of this tech delivery stuff happens.


You might know us from the guides we have put together, like the de-risking guide and the UX guide. Governments all around the world have used them to make services more accessible and add more value to the public — all while saving millions of dollars. You can still find them here: 18f.org/guides/

My day yesterday: 1) Woke up 2) Found out 18F was shuttered 3) Made biscuits with the kids 4) Went to brunch 5) Did not give up

The administration got rid of 18F under the cover of night. People who own skyscrapers are afraid of 100 people who make websites. Not because of the latest tech fad, but because we proved the government can be fixed, the government can be made better and the government can work for the people.