President Donald Trump has selected Airbnb co-founder Joe Gebbia to spearhead a new federal design overhaul aimed at making government websites “both usable and beautiful.”
Gebbia, who joined the Department of Government Efficiency earlier this year and also sits on the board of Tesla, said Saturday that he has been appointed to become the first chief design officer of the United States.
“I’m honored to be appointed by Trump as the first Chief Design Officer of the United States of America,” Gebbia said on X. “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.”
Gebbia will lead the newly created National Design Studio, a temporary body Trump announced in an executive order Thursday. The studio will implement Trump’s “America by Design” initiative meant to “improve experiences for Americans by breathing new life into the design of sites where people interact with their Government.”
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“America has long led the world in innovation, technological advancement, and design,” the executive order said. “But with a sprawling ecosystem of digital services offered to Americans, the Government has lagged behind in usability and aesthetics.”
The White House says Gebbia’s team will tackle nearly 26,000 federal interfaces that “aren’t meeting the public’s needs and expectations.” Only 6% of federal websites currently score “good” on mobile performance, and 45% are not mobile-friendly, according to the White House. Fewer than 20% use standardized U.S. Web Design System code, resulting in inconsistent user experiences, the White House added.
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Gebbia’s charge will also include cutting duplicative design costs, recruiting top creative talent and making digital services more efficient across various federal agencies.
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“I’d like to thank President Trump and his administration for creating this vision, and supporting America by Design,” Gebbia said on X. “I will do my best to make the U.S. the most beautiful, and useable, country in the digital world.”
Agency heads working with Gebbia will be expected to produce initial results by July 4, 2026, with the National Design Studio slated to operate for only three years, according to the executive order.
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