WASHINGTON: President Donald Trump has appointed Airbnb co-founder Joe Gebbia to lead a major overhaul of United States government digital services.
Gebbia will spearhead the newly created National Design Studio with the goal of making federal websites as user-friendly as commercial platforms like the Apple App Store.
“An experience that projects a level of excellence for our nation, and makes life less complicated for everyday Americans,” Gebbia stated on social media platform X.
The National Design Studio replaces the controversial Department of Government Efficiency previously headed by billionaire Elon Musk.
Gebbia brings experience from revamping the federal retirement process at the human resources agency.
Reuters reported this week that improving services at the Internal Revenue Service will be a primary focus for the new initiative.
Many current government websites were designed by lowest-cost bidders and have not been updated for years.
White House official David Sacks confirmed Gebbia will “oversee the redesign of roughly 26,000 federal web portals, many of which are obsolete.”
The executive order mandates improvements to both “usability and aesthetics” of all federal digital services.
The studio will advise agencies on reducing duplicative design costs and implementing standardised interfaces.
According to the order, the National Design Studio will operate for three years before closing. – Reuters
