Personal blog of Chris Given, government technologist. These words are always written by a human; I have no one to blame but myself.| chrisgiven.com
Personal blog of Chris Given, government technologist. These words are always written by a human; I have no one to blame but myself.| chrisgiven.com
I’ve been deliberately steering clear of using this space to react to current events. My last few months in government were discombobulating and highly reactive, and I’ve been trying to get enough distance to be able to think again. So although I’m doing plenty of raging against the calamities of the present moment, I’m not in a place to channel that rage into writing anything of use.| Chris Given
Judge Carlton Reeves of the Southern District of Mississippi has written some real bangers in his career, but his magnum opus might be his 2018 opinion in Boatner v. Berryhill, an appeal of the Social Security Administration’s denial of disability benefits for a Mississippi man named Carl Boatner. Judge Reeves finds that Social Security wrongly denied Boatner’s claim.| Chris Given
Government writing is usually stripped of all personality, so I like it when civil servants let loose in times of stress. It shows that the faceless bureaucracy is just people trying their best.| Chris Given
Three events that made Direct File possible.| chrisgiven.com
James R. McTigue, Jr.:| Chris Given
Personal blog of Chris Given, government technologist. These words are always written by a human; I have no one to blame but myself.| chrisgiven.com
A deep dive on a single government algorithm.| chrisgiven.com
Personal blog of Chris Given, government technologist. These words are always written by a human; I have no one to blame but myself.| chrisgiven.com
Nina Olson and Gabriel Zucker:| Chris Given
Personal blog of Chris Given, government technologist. These words are always written by a human; I have no one to blame but myself.| chrisgiven.com
Speaking of Merici, I’ve been meaning to reupload this video from a July 2024 event, where she and I spoke about lessons learned from the Direct File pilot. The original was taken down in January 2025 due to the transition.| Chris Given
Economic Security Project (ESP) announces a new fellowship focused on the future of tax filing, civic tech, and benefits equity. Launching in the wake of the Trump administration’s decision to sunset IRS Direct File—one of the most popular civic tech pilots in recent memory—this new initiative brings together technologists, policy experts, and equity-driven strategists to preserve hard-won progress and accelerate new ideas that make government work better for everyone.| Chris Given
Andrew Leahey, for Forbes:| Chris Given
Personal blog of Chris Given, government technologist. These words are always written by a human; I have no one to blame but myself.| chrisgiven.com
Some of the deaths of Direct File.| chrisgiven.com
Personal blog of Chris Given, government technologist. These words are always written by a human; I have no one to blame but myself.| chrisgiven.com