Episode summary
The Person Who Runs HR For 2 Million Federal Workers
The a16z Show
· · Hosts: Katherine Boyle, Erik Torenberg · Guests: Scott Kupor, Greg Barbaccia
Summary
The discussion centers on how the federal government can attract talent, modernize technology, and become more outcome-driven. The host and the guests argue that Washington’s biggest constraints are not just compensation or procurement, but a culture that overweights compliance, legal exposure, and process while underweighting mission and measurable results.
One guest, the OPM director, says the government has a severe performance-management problem: almost everyone is rated highly, low performers are hard to remove, and bonuses and promotions get spread too evenly. He argues for a more honest ranking system, more functional testing in hiring, and a shift toward measured risk rather than treating all risk as failure. The other guest, the U.S. CIO, says the government needs better technical managers, fewer silos, and more practical adoption of AI and modern tools.
Both guests see early-career technologists as a key talent pool and frame public service as a high-impact tour of duty. They argue the government should sell mission, scale, and responsibility, not lifetime employment. Their broader goal is to make government a place where great people can do hard work, build better systems, and improve the citizen experience.
Key takeaways
- The OPM director says 99.7% of federal employees are currently rated a 3 or higher, which he sees as evidence of grade inflation and weak differentiation.
- The guests argue government should shift from a zero-risk culture to “measured risk,” especially for routine work that does not involve sovereignty or national security.
- The U.S. CIO says the government has more auditors than team members in some cases, underscoring how compliance burdens can overwhelm execution.
- Both guests want to recruit early-career technologists and make government a legitimate two- to four-year “tour of duty” that the private sector values.
- The OPM director says the new success metric should be operational efficiency and rework reduction, not just bigger budgets and headcount.
Notable quotes
“We just don't have the right talent here. While it's very hard for the government to compete with Silicon Valley on compensation, we do rule on mission”
“99.7% are a three or higher. 0.3% therefore is a one or a two”
“I have more auditors auditing my team than I have team members”
“we do rule on mission. You get access to some of the world's hardest problems in the government”
“The US will win the future if we blank win the AI race. Remain undistracted”
How the episode opens
We are talking about a subject that I think is top of mind for everyone. Making government cool again. This is a administration that wants to lean forward and isn't afraid of upsetting some of the ecosystem that's out there.
Technology continues to advance rapidly. And you know, just to be blunt, the government is nowhere near prepared for it. We just don't have the right talent here.
While it's very hard for the government to compete with Silicon Valley on compensation, we do rule on mission. You get access to some of the world's hardest problems in the government. You get agency to affect potentially over 300 million people.
The US will win the future if we blank win the AI race. Remain undistracted. Scott, Greg, it is so wonderful to have you both here.
Today we are talking about a subject that I think is top of mind for everyone. Making government cool again. Um, we're pleased today to have Scott Cooper, who's the director of the Office of Personnel Management, and Greg Barbachia, who's the chief information officer for the United States.
Both of you have very different backgrounds coming to Washington than what we've previously seen. But we are seeing this, I would call it a renaissance of people in the private sector, particularly people in tech with tech backgrounds wanting to serve their country, wanting to come into government. So, I think I'd start with you, Scott.
You know, you were employee number one, managing partner at Andre Horowitz, had had long been in the private sector, helping to build companies, investing in companies. What made you say, "I'm done with managing a 600 person organization, and now I'm going to manage 2.3 million people in the federal government. Well, first of all, thanks for having us.
From the episode’s captions: roughly the first two minutes, lightly cleaned. Keep watching on YouTube →
Topics
- federal hr
- public-private talent
- performance management
- government compliance
- ai modernization
Companies and tickers mentioned
- Andreessen Horowitz
Watch the episode
Watch “The Person Who Runs HR For 2 Million Federal Workers” on YouTube
Summary, takeaways and quote selection by Octagon. Quotes are short excerpts; the full conversation is in the episode.
More from The a16z Show
-
Cyberattacks Used to Take Months. AI Can Do It in Minutes. -
How AI Could Bring Halo and Other Classic Games Back to Life -
Mike Volpi on Why AI Infrastructure Will Outlast the Hype Cycle -
Why HubSpot’s Co-Founder Is Betting Against the SaaSpocalypse -
Inside Salesforce’s Acquisition Strategy for the AI Era -
How AI Is Turning Figma’s Finance Team Into Builders
The a16z Show, this episode and its artwork belong to Andreessen Horowitz. Octagon is not affiliated with the show; this page is an independent summary.
