When “Disruption” Becomes Destruction: How the Attack on Government Infrastructure Threatens Democracy Itself

Sometimes a week brings such seismic shifts that words initially fail us. Yet speak we must, especially when facing unprecedented threats to our democratic institutions.

The Personal Becomes Political

Like many people, I have found myself in recent days struggling with how to respond to the barrage of news. So I find myself composing an open letter of sorts to someone who surely won’t read it, yet whose actions demand a response.

As someone in tech, I once admired certain innovations: Tesla’s open-source approach to design, their pioneering work in battery technology. But there’s a vast gulf between disrupting markets and dismantling government.

The irony doesn’t escape me: a non-elected individual, born outside the United States, wielding extraordinary power through wealth and political alignment, now orchestrates a systematic gutting of federal agencies through something called “DOGE” — a name that reads like a cynical joke.

The Purpose of Government

Our fundamental disagreement isn’t just about efficiency versus waste. It’s about the very purpose of government itself. While some view government through the lens of profit and loss, its true measure lies in service to its people. Government requires substantive weight, a longitudinal consistency that transcends any single leader’s vision or whims.

The question haunting me isn’t just “What will make you see reason?” but rather: What makes us, as a society, so vulnerable to the notion that complexity is the enemy of progress? That the infrastructure of democracy — built over generations — can be “disrupted” like a startup without devastating consequences?

The Real Threat

The real disruption we should fear isn’t to our agencies and institutions — it’s to our collective faith in governance itself. When billionaires can casually reach into the machinery of democracy and rearrange its gears to their liking, we’ve moved beyond the realm of innovation into something far more dangerous: the privatization of public power. This isn’t about efficiency — it’s about control.

The stakes couldn’t be higher. When USAID’s doors are locked, when Treasury systems fall under private control, when education policy bends to billionaire whims — these aren’t just administrative changes. They’re fundamental threats to democratic governance. Each locked door, each system commandeered, each agency gutted represents another crack in the foundation of public service and democratic oversight.

What’s most alarming is the breakneck pace and vast reach of these changes. For me the irony strikes especially deep — I’ve just published a book about making wiser decisions amid the context of acceleration. Now we’re witnessing our public institutions transformed into private domains, executed with the ruthless efficiency and cold precision of a hostile corporate takeover. But government isn’t a startup to be “disrupted” or a company to be acquired. It’s the infrastructure of our democracy.

Beyond Party or Even Country: The Core Question

The question isn’t whether government can be more efficient — of course it can. The question is whether we’re willing to sacrifice democratic accountability and public service at the altar of private sector “efficiency.” When we allow unelected billionaires to systematically dismantle public institutions, we’re not just losing government agencies — we’re losing the very mechanisms that ensure government serves all people, not just the wealthy few.

This isn’t a partisan issue. It’s not even solely an American issue. It’s about the fundamental principle that democratic institutions should be shaped by democratic processes, not by the personal vision of any individual, no matter how wealthy or influential they may be.

Taking Action

What can we do in the face of this unprecedented dismantling of democratic institutions? Several critical actions demand our immediate attention:

First, we must document and share these developments widely. The complexity of these changes can make them difficult to follow, but their implications are too important to ignore. Write about them. Talk about them. Help others understand what’s at stake.

Second, contact your representatives. While this may sound like standard advice, it matters more than ever. When enough constituents voice concerns about unelected individuals gaining control of federal systems, representatives take notice.

Third, support organizations working to maintain government transparency and accountability. Their work becomes even more vital when traditional oversight mechanisms are under threat.

Finally, remember that democracy isn’t just about voting — it’s about sustained civic engagement. Get involved in local government. Join civic organizations. Build the relationships and understanding that make democratic institutions resilient.

Because here’s the truth: democracy isn’t something that happens to us — it’s something we do. And right now, it needs all of us doing our part.

Thank you for reading. Please feel free to share widely.

Kate O’Neill, founder of KO Insights, is a writer, speaker, and thinker focused on helping humanity prepare for an increasingly change-filled future, and on making technology better for business and for humans. Her newest book is What Matters Next: A Guide to Making Human-Friendly Tech Decisions (released in January 2025).