Update: Scott Kupor was sworn in as OPM’s new Director on July 15.
Scott Kupor will be the new director for the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) after his nomination was confirmed by the Senate on Wednesday. Kupor was nominated by President Trump for this position in January 2025.
Kupor testified before the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs in April 2025. At that time, he said:
One of the first things that I will do is do a full business review, not just of all of our functions, but certainly data privacy and data protection. So, that will be one of the first orders of business when I hopefully have the opportunity to serve.
I think protecting data privacy is incredibly important, and we absolutely want a system where if people have concerns that there is an appropriate way to investigate that.
In his testimony, he also said that he does not want a repeat of what happened during the 2015 OPM data breach. That event resulted in 21.5 million people potentially impacted including those who had undergone security clearances.
Stolen data included:
- Social Security numbers,
- Detailed SF‑86 forms (education, employment history, foreign contacts, mental-health data, etc.),
- About 5.6 million fingerprints (initially thought to be 1.1 million).
OPM’s Chief Information Officer Donna Seymour retired in February 2016. OPM Director Katherine Archuleta resigned on July 10, 2015. Congressional and inspector-general reports revealed OPM had unresolved cybersecurity vulnerabilities. In 2018, the GAO found that only ~64% of recommended security improvements had been implemented
Scott Kupor was Managing Partner and first employee at the venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz, with previous leadership as chair of the National Venture Capital Association (2014–2018).
View of the Federal Workforce
In his Congressional testimony in April 2025, Kupor expressed his views on the federal workforce. He criticized the current system of performance management as 60% of federal employees are rated above “meeting expectations” and only 0.4% are rated “below expectations,” calling for a more realistic and rewarding performance review process.
Kupor quoted his business partner, Ben Horowitz: “Culture is what team members do when the leader is not in the room.” He cited the necessity for a strong organizational culture and transparent leadership, especially during restructuring efforts.
Kupor did not specifically endorse specific reduction plans for the workforce. He stressed restructuring should be “surgical,” transparent, and respectful of federal employees’ dignity.
Lessons from Kupor’s Book
Kupor has also written a book entitled Secrets of Sand Hill Road: Venture Capital and How to Get It, published in 2019.
The book is a guide for entrepreneurs navigating the venture capital world, explaining how venture capitalists think, how business deals are structured, and how startups can position themselves for success.
Various report lessons can be learned about Kupor’s philosophy from his book. These lessons may indicate how his philosophy may impact his leadership at OPM.
Incentives Drive Behavior: Kupor emphasizes that incentives—financial, cultural, and structural—shape how people act. In government, this could mean rethinking how federal employees are rewarded, promoted, and evaluated to align with public service goals.
Transparency Builds Trust: Venture capital thrives on clear communication between founders and investors. Kupor may apply this by promoting transparency in federal hiring, performance reviews, and workforce restructuring.
Culture Is Strategy: Kupor believes culture is what people do when no one’s watching. At OPM, he might focus on building a culture of accountability and service, especially during reforms.
Metrics Matter: Venture capitalists rely heavily on data to decide if a company has a future and is an entity worthy of investment. Kupor could push for better performance metrics in the federal government. He is likely to emphasize meaningful evaluations that drive improvement instead of most people receiving high ratings on their performance evaluations.
Summary
OPM plays a key role in the restructuring efforts being implemented by the Trump administration. While the new OPM director does not have experience working for the federal government, this may have been considered a plus in the job. Trump has emphasized bringing in new ideas to restructure the federal government.
It is also likely that Kupor’s book briefly discussed above may have been influential in selecting him as the next OPM director. His ideas outlined above are likely to be reflected in the direction OPM will take as the restructuring continues to evolve during the Trump term of office.
