This AI Is Replacing 10,000 Government Workers — Here's How | Eric & Laura Davis, Founders USLege

What happens when a startup builds AI that can do the work of thousands of government employees — faster, cheaper, and without the bureaucracy?In this episode of Wall Street To Y'all Street, we sit down with a founder who's taking on one of the most entrenched systems in America: government operations. Their AI isn't a chatbot or a gimmick — it's replacing real workflows, cutting costs, and forcing agencies to rethink how they operate from the ground up.Whether you're building in govtech, interested in how AI is reshaping the public sector, or just want to understand what happens when startups go head-to-head with government bureaucracy — this is the conversation you need to hear.🔑 In this episode:• How this AI startup landed government contracts that legacy vendors couldn't• The brutal reality of selling technology to government agencies• Why most govtech startups fail — and what this founder did differently• What AI replacing government jobs actually looks like (and what it doesn't)• The founder's playbook for navigating politics, procurement, and red tapeConnect with Laura on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/laurauslege/ and learn more about USLege at https://www.uslege.ai/Connect with Eric on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/eric-in-tech/🎙️ABOUT THE HOST: Joseph J. Raetzer, MBA, JD is Corporate, Mergers & Acquisitions (M&A) and Securities Lawyer (capital raising). He started his career over 20 years ago on Wall Street and he has done over $100+ billion in transactions. He is also a serial entrepreneur with a successful 7-figure exit in under 3 years, and founder of his corporate M&A and securities law firm Raetzer PLLC. His podcast Wall Street to Y’all Street features real lessons from founders, operators, and executives who have built, scaled, lost, and rebuilt businesses. This is not legal advice - always consult with your attorney. Joseph J. Raetzer, MBA, JD is licensed in New York and Texas. 🎙️CONNECT WITH JOE ON LINKEDIN AT https://www.linkedin.com/in/raetzer/Timestamps00:00 Introduction01:40 What problem was Laura solving inside government?03:45 Laura’s upbringing06:10 Founders have to be okay with rejection09:10 Breaking into politics and government work10:55 What surprised Laura most once she started working in government?11:20 Relationships matter 13:10 Is policymaking really organized — or just chaotic?14:20 How did people track legislation before AI?18:00 Why policy teams are drowning in too much information19:15 How many meetings can large teams actually monitor?20:00 Is it now impossible to track policy without tools like this?22:20 How did Laura go from seeing the problem to deciding to build a company?23:00 Why ChatGPT alone was not enough in the early days23:50 How did Laura know people would actually pay for this?25:00 Why talking to 500 potential users mattered25:40 How fast did they move from idea to MVP?26:30 Why starting with a newsletter and mailing list helped27:00 How did Laura find her technical co-founder?27:30 What does US Ledge actually do in simple terms?28:15 Who are the core customers for US Ledge?29:10 How is US Ledge changing lobbying?30:00 How one user doubled revenue using the platform30:20 What work does AI automate — and what work stays human?31:20 Is government becoming too complex to understand without AI?32:00 Can AI eventually predict policy before it happens?33:35 What would Laura say to someone who sees a huge problem and wants to build?34:20 Why founders should learn an industry deeply before building in it35:30 Eric joins: what led him into startups?36:30 What did Silicon Valley teach Eric about grit?37:15 Why cold-calling taught pain tolerance and resilience38:10 What did Eric learn from building in automotive tech?39:30 Why startup operators learn faster than almost anywhere else40:15 What happened after Eric’s earlier exit?40:45 How did Laura pitch the idea to Eric?41:20 What made Eric realize this could be a real company?41:50 What founder lessons did Eric bring from prior startups?42:10 What is the “mom test” for startup ideas?42:35 Why nothing matters until someone actually pays43:10 What does Eric mean by “nothing is ever as good or as bad as it seems”?44:05 Why execution matters more than ideas44:40 Can AI just copy a business like this?45:40 What’s the next step after getting the first paying customers?46:00 Why Eric prefers staying lean instead of hiring too fast46:50 How does he decide what to delegate first?47:40 What mistake do many experienced executives make in startups?48:20 Why over-hiring can kill a startup49:00 Why founders must know their burn rate cold50:05 What is the long-term vision for US Lege?50:25 Why talking about exits too early can be a trap50:45 What does building a sustainable business really mean?51:30 What is it like building a company with your spouse?52:00 What are the pros and cons of being co-founders and partners?