WASHINGTON, DC - JANUARY 20: Tesla, SpaceX and X CEO Elon Musk gestures while speaking during an inauguration event at Capital One Arena on January 20, 2025 in Washington, DC. Donald Trump takes office for his second term as the 47th president of the United States. (Photo by Christopher Furlong/Getty Images)
Elon Musk‘s teenage employee, Edward Coristine, 19, also known online as “Big Balls,” has been listed as a “senior adviser” at the State Department’s Bureau of Diplomatic Technology. He has also been granted access to the Department of Homeland Security computers.
Concerns have been on the rise surrounding Musk and DOGE‘s access to highly sensitive information about U.S. agents across the world. Coristine made headlines when he was identified as one of Musk’s DOGE lieutenants working to cut government waste. He recently dropped out of Northeastern University’s engineering program to join Musk’s team.
In 2022, Coristine was fired from an internship with Path Network for allegedly leaking insider information to a competing company. He also briefly worked for Musk’s brain-computer interface startup Neuralink.
Many U.S. diplomats have grown fearful of Musk’s grasp on the federal government, which has provoked legal challenges. The White House has insisted that DOGE’s work adheres to federal law and that they have appropriate security clearances. Musk has defended the youth of DOGE team members, saying that their ages should not disqualify them from doing “good work.”
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Wired reported that DOGE workers were recruited from a Discord group.
Anonymous officials shared with The Washington Post that they fear Coristine’s position could “give him a foothold for obtaining unauthorized access to classified material” and “obtain compromising information on other countries and foreign activities.”
Another member of the DOGE team is 23-year-old engineer Luke Farritor. The Post reports that Farritor is also listed in the State Department’s directory as working at the Bureau of Diplomatic Technology. He is known for deciphering a portion of the Vesuvius Scrolls. Online investigators have identified at least six engineers that work at DOGE who are 25 years of age or younger.
Last week, the head of the Social Security Administration, Michelle King, resigned after refusing to give DOGE employees access to sensitive taxpayer data.
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I was 19 once. My wife and I raised three children - all now 30-somethings - that were 19 once. During my career, I was responsible for recruiting, hiring and mentoring dozens of 19-somethings as part of Drexel University's student co-op program.
Referencing this article, I have yet to meet a 19-something that would be remotely qualified to be appointed to this position in DOGE as a "senior" advisor. Not even close, and if you think a 19-year-old should be in a position to make decisions affecting your life, or those of your parents, your children or your grandchildren...consider yourself - IMHO - completely clueless.