Statecraft 99.8% of Federal Employees Get Good Performance Reviews. Why?
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Dec 16, 2025 
Scott Kupor, Director of the U.S. Office of Personnel Management and former managing partner at Andreessen Horowitz, discusses the complexities of federal employment. He highlights how federal agencies have rehired after layoffs due to miscalculations and examines the surprisingly low removal rates for poor performance. Kupor advocates for modernizing recruitment practices to attract younger talent and emphasizes the need for reforming job classifications to streamline hiring. He also outlines the importance of aligning workforce planning with agency goals and discusses upcoming tech-focused recruitment initiatives.
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OPM As Talent Management, Not Just HR
- Scott Kupor reframes OPM as a talent management organization beyond traditional HR functions.
- He emphasizes aligning people, roles, and culture to deliver results for the American people.
Make Efficiency A Core Metric
- Institutionalize fraud, waste, and abuse detection into day-to-day government operations.
- Treat efficiency as a top-line metric when redesigning agencies and processes.
Most Headcount Cuts Were Voluntary
- About 300,000 people will leave the government, but only ~25,000 were formal firings or RIFs.
- Over 90% of headcount reduction came from voluntary programs and natural attrition, not terminations.