I think the null hypothesis is more useful here; assume that NOWHERE builds tech skills until otherwise demonstrated.
What you see: a bunch of tech startups founded by ex-Google, ex-FB, ex-Amazon employees.
What you never see: hot tech startups founded by ex-government bureaucrats
At very best/worst, you get beltway contractors who have "skills" at extracting money from the government. Those contractor firms NEVER end up selling back to private industry, because they have nothing to offer.
I think that this is one of those cases where "citation needed" is a way to avoid the blindingly obvious truth of the statement. No, we haven't done a controlled experiment on the government vs private enterprise in skill creation. Sometimes you have to use common sense and obvious experience.
Although I wouldn't be surprised if there's data to support what you stated, I also thin it's possible there are other confounding attributes.
Many government employees are motivated by different factors. Somebody who is motivated by pay would likely gravitate towards the private sector and starting their own business. Somebody motivated by service may be more apt to apply to government jobs. For instance, I would seriously doubt mathematicians who work for intelligence agencies are lower-skilled; this is probably an occupation that selects for other traits.
I am also aware of a LOT of former government employees who start their own companies but it's not clear how much of their success is due to skills vs. network effects.
i don't know that I would use "founded a tech startup" as a good proxy for skill creation. perhaps the type of people who acquire tech skills in government are aren't necessarily primed to found a startup
To elaborate on this, it's conceivable that startups come from tech giants not because of tech skill, but rather because of confidence and connections.
What you see: a bunch of tech startups founded by ex-Google, ex-FB, ex-Amazon employees.
What you never see: hot tech startups founded by ex-government bureaucrats
At very best/worst, you get beltway contractors who have "skills" at extracting money from the government. Those contractor firms NEVER end up selling back to private industry, because they have nothing to offer.
I think that this is one of those cases where "citation needed" is a way to avoid the blindingly obvious truth of the statement. No, we haven't done a controlled experiment on the government vs private enterprise in skill creation. Sometimes you have to use common sense and obvious experience.