Sweeping layoffs at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) may be imminent, spearheaded by the Trump administration along with the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). NIST, a non-regulatory agency that sets benchmarks for the safety and reliability of products ranging from beauty items to quantum computers, is bracing for significant cuts.
Several current and former NIST employees have indicated that the agency has been anticipating reductions since President Donald Trump assumed office last month, issuing directives to billionaire Elon Musk and DOGE to cut federal spending. Concerns intensified last week when NIST employees observed individuals believed to be associated with DOGE visiting Building 225, which houses the NIST Information Technology Laboratory on the Gaithersburg, Maryland campus. According to informed sources, these DOGE staff members were seeking access to NIST’s IT infrastructure.
Subsequent to these observations, NIST leadership informed employees that although DOGE personnel were not currently onsite, arrangements for office space and technology were being made for them.
Reports by Axios and Bloomberg on Wednesday revealed that NIST had commenced notifying some employees about potential layoffs. Approximately 500 recent hires, who are in a probationary period and thus more easily dismissed, are among those likely affected. According to WIRED sources, even esteemed technical experts in leadership roles, including three recently promoted lab directors, might face cuts. Official layoff notices are expected to be issued Friday.
Request for comments from the White House and NIST, which operates under the Department of Commerce, have yet to be returned.
Particularly anxious about the impending cuts is the US AI Safety Institute (AISI) team at NIST, which has a significant number of probationary employees. AISI was established following a comprehensive executive order on AI by former President Joe Biden in October 2023. Trump rescinded this executive order shortly after taking office, labeling it a hindrance to American AI leadership.
The AI Safety Institute, comprising roughly 24 staff members, collaborates with leading AI companies, including competitors to Elon Musk’s startup xAI, like OpenAI and Anthropic, to evaluate and test the capabilities of their advanced models. Musk, who initially invested in OpenAI, is presently involved in litigation against the company over its transition from a non-profit to a for-profit entity.
Elizabeth Kelly, the inaugural director of AISI, recently announced her departure. Other prominent NIST figures in AI, such as Reva Schwartz and Elham Tabassi, have also left in recent weeks. Kelly and Schwartz declined to comment, while Tabassi has not responded to requests for comment.
US Vice President JD Vance signaled the administration’s shift in focus away from AI safety at the AI Action Summit in Paris, an event where AISI and other government representatives were notably absent. “I’m not here this morning to talk about AI safety,” Vance remarked in his first major speech as VP, emphasizing AI opportunities instead.
