this post was submitted on 30 Jan 2025
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politics

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Summary

Donald Trump’s Office of Personnel Management (OPM) has reportedly hired a 21-year-old senior advisor and a freshly graduated high schooler, showing the administration’s unconventional hiring approach.

Many new appointees have ties to Elon Musk, including OPM’s chief of staff Amanda Scales, formerly of xAI.

The administration is restructuring government staffing, influenced by Musk’s cost-cutting model.

A White House memo, echoing Musk’s 2022 Twitter overhaul, offers buyouts to employees unwilling to meet new performance standards.

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[–] ReallyActuallyFrankenstein@lemmynsfw.com 142 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago) (2 children)

Wired did not name the two individuals out of sensitivity to their ages.

I'm sorry, what? These are people who are going to be significantly affecting OPM activities and procedure. They work for taxpayers and are adults. What journalistic rule overrules the public interest in knowing who they are?

[–] Tm12@lemmy.ca 42 points 3 days ago

Think of the children /s

[–] Frozengyro@lemmy.world 29 points 3 days ago

Not to mention leaders of public services are listed everywhere.

[–] henfredemars@infosec.pub 150 points 3 days ago (2 children)

Unconventional hiring approach? Give me a break -- these are clearly award positions for loyalists, kickbacks to their friends and relatives. Merit is out the window.

[–] Nougat@fedia.io 33 points 3 days ago (1 children)
[–] futatorius@lemm.ee 7 points 3 days ago (1 children)

Where's Teddy Roosevelt when you need him?

[–] skulblaka@sh.itjust.works 3 points 2 days ago

Spinning in his grave fast enough to power the entire country with some to spare

[–] stormeuh@lemmy.world 3 points 2 days ago

Sanewashing, everything, all the time.

[–] Gullible@sh.itjust.works 93 points 3 days ago (1 children)

Why I fear DEI: my kids won’t be able to skate by on my reputation and connections while brown people and vagina persons exhibit talent

[–] Nougat@fedia.io 27 points 3 days ago (3 children)
[–] Breezy@lemmy.world 36 points 3 days ago (1 children)

Well all Americans are now female so a name had to be chosen for all the vagina peoples.

[–] vaultdweller013@sh.itjust.works 12 points 3 days ago (1 children)

I thought that was a reserved slur for folks from the Virginia's.

[–] spankmonkey@lemmy.world 10 points 3 days ago (1 children)
[–] Graphy@lemmy.world 12 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago)

Mountain mama, indeed

[–] Ioughttamow@fedia.io 14 points 3 days ago

The penisly impaired

[–] GBU_28@lemm.ee 5 points 3 days ago (2 children)
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[–] technocrit@lemmy.dbzer0.com 25 points 2 days ago (1 children)

TBH it's much harder to find brainwashed ideologues over 30. That's the whole point of maga/fash youth.

[–] gamermanh@lemmy.dbzer0.com 19 points 3 days ago

Well of course, they HAVE to give their girlfriends jobs after a few years of dating, after all!

[–] N0body@lemmy.dbzer0.com 45 points 3 days ago (1 children)

Elon’s work force reduction method is simple. Force everyone to return to office full time; increase hours and responsibilities with no corresponding increase in pay; and offer severance packages to employees who won’t put up with this treatment, then don’t actually pay them.

I hope the governments workers’ union is strong and has some teeth. They’re going to need it.

[–] LuxSpark@lemmy.cafe 12 points 3 days ago (1 children)

Very similar to the corporate play book.

[–] Samsonreturns@lemmy.world 12 points 3 days ago (1 children)

Yeah, it is really fucked because most people vote no for this type of bull shit in 2012. No one wanted a Mitt Romney style corporate divide and sell off style of "government". But fuck here we are

[–] WhatAmLemmy@lemmy.world 5 points 3 days ago

The best part? The conservative propaganda machine made them all believe that the corporate pillaging wouldn't happen, and they would be taken care of, despite all available evidence to the contrary.

[–] futatorius@lemm.ee 21 points 3 days ago (2 children)

Welcome to the kakistocracy.

[–] spooky2092@lemmy.blahaj.zone 12 points 3 days ago

I learned a new word today

government by the least suitable or competent citizens of a state.

[–] Yeller_king@reddthat.com 8 points 3 days ago

Kakistocracy is kinda the best case scenario for the next 4 years.

[–] just_another_person@lemmy.world 43 points 3 days ago (8 children)

Precisely the only two idiotic types of people who would go along with his Nazi plans.

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[–] AbidanYre@lemmy.world 30 points 3 days ago (2 children)

How the hell are you going to call yourself a senior advisor at 21 years old?

Also, who the hell is going to listen to that advice?

[–] shasta@lemm.ee 12 points 3 days ago

It's because he advises the senior citizen in charge

[–] DjMeas@lemm.ee 5 points 3 days ago

Hands new hires a bike pump

"Time to inflate those titles!"

High schooler? Somebody is fucking

[–] SkunkWorkz@lemmy.world 13 points 3 days ago

Didn’t Earn It

[–] Eddbopkins@lemmy.world 10 points 3 days ago

More incompetent people put into power to serve the whims of trump

[–] subignition@fedia.io 20 points 3 days ago (2 children)

Either they're related to someone who cozied up. Or the goal is to hire young, naive people to maximize the chances they don't fully understand the fucking evil they're going to be asked to inflict.

[–] BigLime@lemmy.ml 14 points 3 days ago

No it's 100% nepotism. In the article it says they worked close to, or for musk.

[–] Nougat@fedia.io 4 points 3 days ago

Get 'em while they're young.

[–] BigLime@lemmy.ml 13 points 3 days ago

Man being a 20 year old with a degree and certifications and still not finding a job related to that stuff, and then I have to see this. I really do wanna leave this bs ass country now. Fts

[–] Drusas@fedia.io 5 points 3 days ago (1 children)

"performance standards". Yeah. Sure.

[–] phdepressed@sh.itjust.works 4 points 3 days ago

"Loyal to Trump above all else"

[–] Today@lemmy.world 5 points 3 days ago (3 children)

I feel bad for those young people getting sucked into something that will likely end badly for them.

[–] chase_what_matters@lemmy.world 14 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago)

I have zero sympathy. You have to live in a cave to not know enough about this administration to make an informed decision, even at 18.

[–] spankmonkey@lemmy.world 7 points 3 days ago

If they are that stupid they deserve to learn the hard way.

[–] ayyy@sh.itjust.works 2 points 2 days ago

They are old enough to know what a Nazi is.

Merit based hires, I see no issue

[–] KenTheEagle@lemmy.world 4 points 3 days ago

Courting the Sperry wearing, short kaki short, tucked in polo shirt, most likely to be caught looking distraught on camera at a SEC primetime college football game crowd.

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