Sylvie Claire / August 29, 2025
Joe Gebbia, co-founder of Airbnb, has been appointed to head a mission to modernize the government's digital services. His aim is to make these services “as pleasant to use as the Apple Store”.
Joe Gebbia, 44, will be responsible for modernizing the government's digital services. “My mission is to update public services so that they are as pleasant to use as the Apple Store: well-designed, offering an excellent user experience and based on modern software,” he wrote on X.
“I will do my best to make the United States the most beautiful and user-friendly country in the digital world”, continued Joe Gebbia. In his message, the businessman also invited anyone interested to join the recently created National Design Studio, tasked with “modernizing the interfaces used daily by citizens”.
Until the end of May, Elon Musk, head of X and electric vehicle manufacturer Tesla, was Donald Trump's head of the DOGE department, responsible for government efficiency. But the two men ended up drifting apart after a disagreement, notably over the “Big Beautiful Bill”, a budget bill advocated by Trump. Elon Musk, who had threatened to launch his own party, is said to have finally put this project on hold.