David Spirk on Scaling What Works and Cutting What Doesn’t

David Spirk, a Marine Corps veteran and Senior Counselor at Palantir, joins FedUpward to talk about driving real transformation in government. He discusses how to operationalize data, the trap of failing programs, and what efficiency should actually mean in federal service. David joined the FedUpward Podcast during the annual conference hosted by Globally, a nonprofit organization dedicated to cultivating communities of emerging leaders who are committed to addressing the most pressing global challenges of our time.

00:00 – Meet David Spirk

01:20 – How federal workers can build technical and data literacy

03:10 – Operationalizing AI: Why transformation starts at the workflow level

04:55 – Why failing programs keep getting funded

07:46 – Rethinking efficiency: Better, faster, cheaper (with meaning)

Spirk doesn’t mince words. He calls out the persistent funding of underperforming programs and urges federal leaders to stop rewarding PowerPoint progress over real-world impact. He also shares why mindset—especially around acquisition and budgeting—is often the biggest barrier to innovation.

Connect with the Globally community here.

Book Recommendation:

Freedom’s Forge: https://www.amazon.com/Freedoms-Forge-American-Business-Produced/dp/0812982045

Helpful Resources:

• Follow David Spirk on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-spirk-a21a37126/ 

• Work with Love: www.fedupwardcoaching.com 

Connect with Love:

• LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/love-rutledge

Facebook: facebook.com/fedupward