- The Trump administration is forming a US Tech Force to bring Big Tech AI engineers into government.
- The move aims to boost AI work while competing for scarce tech talent.
The Trump administration is preparing to bring engineers and technologists from some of the largest US tech companies into government roles as part of a new programme called the US Tech Force.
According to an announcement on Monday, the initiative will draw workers from firms like Amazon, Apple, Google, Meta, and Microsoft, alongside other technology companies. The stated aim is to update how federal agencies build and use digital systems.
The programme is expected to recruit around 1,000 technology specialists who will work in government agencies for up to two years. After completing their terms, participants can apply to stay in government roles or move into jobs at the private-sector companies involved in the programme.
Scott Kupor, director of the US Office of Personnel Management, said the engineers will be assigned to targeted projects inside federal agencies. One of the first tasks will be building a digital platform tied to the Trump administration’s savings accounts for children. Kupor said the administration plans to complete its first round of hiring by March 31.
The goal, he said, is to “get the benefit of really smart people working on some of the world’s most complex and difficult problems.”
The Tech Force forms part of the administration’s broader push around artificial intelligence, which is being shaped in part by former PayPal executive David Sacks. The group will focus on expanding the use of AI in government, alongside work on application development and data system upgrades.
In addition to recruiting from large technology firms, the programme will also hire early-career candidates. Companies participating in the initiative include Adobe, AMD, OpenAI, Robinhood, Uber, Nvidia, xAI, Zoom, and others.
The move reflects a growing focus by the Trump administration on strengthening the country’s AI capabilities, as competition with China in the sector continues to intensify.
The announcement came days after President Donald Trump signed an executive order aimed at creating a national framework for AI policy. The order addressed concerns from industry leaders who have pushed back against states setting their own rules.
Salaries for Tech Force roles are expected to range from $150,000 to $200,000 a year, along with benefits.
Once participants complete their terms, partner companies have agreed to consider them for full-time roles. Those companies can also nominate existing employees to take part in temporary government service.
The Tech Force echoes elements of the US Digital Service, which was created under former President Barack Obama in 2014 to improve digital services in federal agencies. Earlier this year, however, the Trump administration folded the US Digital Service into the Department of Government Efficiency, later renamed the DOGE Service, and cut dozens of roles.
Those changes were part of a broader effort to shrink the federal workforce, including technical staff, which led to layoffs and morale issues in several agencies.
The Tech Force now signals a shift toward relying on private-sector expertise to update government technology systems.
Kupor said participants may work on projects like integrating AI into drones and weapons systems at the Department of Defense, developing the Trump Accounts platform at the Internal Revenue Service, and using AI tools to support intelligence work at the State Department.
“There is an incredible race for talent in these areas … so part of what we want to do is be competitive on compensation,” Kupor said. He added that applicants should “understand that in doing this, they’re going to learn a bunch, they’re going to tackle really complex problems, and then they can ultimately go back to the private sector, if that’s what they want to do, and certainly will have the opportunity to maximise their financial opportunity as a result.”
According to the programme’s website, Tech Force members will work on “high-impact technology initiatives including AI implementation, application development, data modernisation, and digital service delivery in federal agencies.”
A similar effort under former President Joe Biden aimed to bring AI specialists into government roles. That programme resulted in about 200 hires, based on a 2024 statement from the Biden administration. Kupor said roughly 75 of those workers remain in government positions today.
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