Resignation of the Engineering Director of USDS: "This is not the mission I came to serve"

The director of data science and engineering at the U.S. Digital Service has decided to resign from her position. Anne Marshall, who previously worked as an engineer at Amazon for over ten years, joined the USDS in September 2023. In December, she was promoted to director of data science and engineering, but her tenure in the role was brief, lasting only two months before she submitted her resignation on Wednesday.

Through LinkedIn, Marshall expressed her gratitude for having had the opportunity to work with such a talented team, although she lamented the recent decisions by DOGE, which resulted in the layoff of a third of the staff last week. She described these cuts as senseless, ill-informed, and indiscriminate, stating that both the government and the American people would be harmed by the loss of these professionals.

Yesterday, USDS employees met with two representatives from DOGE to discuss the future of the organization. In this meeting, Amy Gleason, a former USDS official during the Trump administration, and Kendall Lindemann, previously of McKinsey & Company, informed the remaining employees that DOGE would take a more proactive role in the organization in the coming weeks. Both confirmed that anyone not laid off would be part of the DOGE team and that the two entities would merge. This marks a significant change, as there was previously a "firewall" separating new DOGE members from the legacy USDS staff.

However, the situation regarding who legally leads DOGE remains unclear. A sworn document submitted by Joshua Fisher, director of the Office of Management at the White House, stated that Elon Musk, while a prominent figure, does not hold the position of "administrator" of DOGE but rather serves as a "senior advisor" to the president.

USDS employees also feel lost regarding leadership, as many have unsuccessfully requested to know the identity of the interim administrator. Gleason and Lindemann did not disclose this information during the meeting, and the White House has not responded to related requests.

Marshall concluded her message by indicating that she did not believe DOGE could continue the work of the USDS, given its recent actions. She stated that her decision to resign was voluntary and thoughtful, emphasizing that this was not the purpose for which she joined the organization.