Joe Gebbia, the co-founder of Airbnb (NASDAQ: ABNB), has been tapped by President Trump to lead the newly established National Design Studio.
Trump launched the new initiative in an Executive Order, stating it will “work to reduce duplicative design costs, leverage standardized design, and dramatically improve the quality of public interactions with government services.” Among the activities of the National Design Studio will be improving the 26,000 federal websites, updating the United States Web Design System (USWDS), and ensuring government-wide compliance with the 21st Century Integrated Digital Experience Act.
“Only 6% of Federal websites are rated “good” for mobile performance, and 45% of Federal websites are not mobile friendly,” said the president’s Executive Order. “Less than 20% of Federal websites use code from USWDS, contributing to inconsistent and varying user experiences.”
Gebbia, who previously worked with the Department of Government Efficiency under Elon Musk will “recruit top creative talent, coordinate with executive departments and agencies and devise innovative solutions” according to the Executive Order. He will report to White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles.
On X, Gebbia thanked Trump for the appointment, stating, “My directive is to update today’s government services to be as satisfying to use as the Apple Store: beautifully designed, great user experience, run on modern software. An experience that projects a level of excellence for our nation, and makes life less complicated for everyday Americans.”
