In the wild world of tech and government, two ambitious young developers thought they could revolutionize San Francisco’s bureaucracy with an AI hackathon. But their Silicon Valley dream quickly spiraled into a controversial government efficiency mission that’s turning heads and burning bridges.

The Rise of Accelerate SF

Zsombor “Anthony” Jancso and Jordan Wick weren’t your typical tech bros. Frustrated with San Francisco’s urban challenges, they hosted a hackathon that promised to inject innovation into city governance. Political leaders showed up, developers got excited, and for a moment, it seemed like they might actually change something.

The DOGE Pivot

Fast forward, and these once-idealistic techies are now working with Elon Musk’s controversial Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). Their mission? Ruthlessly cutting federal jobs and replacing workers with AI agents. Over 260,000 federal employees have been impacted, and the tech world is divided on whether this is visionary or destructive.

The Fallout

Their former allies now see their trajectory as a cautionary tale of tech hubris. What started as a genuine attempt to improve government has transformed into a “break things” approach that’s more about disruption than meaningful change. As one critic put it, it’s “enthusiasm without wisdom” - a Silicon Valley special that’s becoming all too familiar.

The story of Jancso and Wick is a stark reminder that good intentions don’t always lead to good outcomes, especially when tech’s “move fast and break things” mentality collides with complex governmental systems.