> she's running the FTC like a startup: hire exceptional people you trust to execute with autonomy

The exceptional people were there from the start. In the early days, their complaint was around being locked out of decision making. Khan and a small group ran the FTC like academics.

That failed both internally and in the courts. To her credit, she noticed the failure, regrouped and re-oriented. But the change wasn’t in star hiring but recognising the talent that was being ignored.

What ever the cause of the slow start, it'll be a shame if it all comes to a grinding halt on Jan 20, 2025 now that this agency seems to be effectively doing its job.