Latest news with #EdwardCoristine
The Guardian
10 hours ago
- Business
- The Guardian
Ex-Doge employee ‘Big Balls' gets new Trump administration position
Edward Coristine – the 19-year-old who quit Elon Musk's controversial, so-called 'department of government efficiency' (Doge) earlier this week, where he gained notoriety in part for having used the online moniker 'Big Balls' – has in fact been given a new government job, this time at the Social Security Administration (SSA). Coristine, whose lack of experience and super-loyalty to Musk saw him become a flashpoint for outrage at Doge's ruthless but haphazard efforts to slash government spending and fire thousands of workers, resigned from Doge earlier this week. However a spokesperson for SSA, Stephen McGraw, told Wired magazine that he was now working for that department. 'His work will be focused on improving the functionality of the Social Security website and advancing our mission of delivering more efficient service to the American people,' McGraw told Wired. Coristine may have previously worked for the SSA, but reporting on his employment history is conflicted. Doge caused chaos early on in the new Trump administration by muscling into dozens of departments and forcing access to computer systems, in a blaze of publicity and combative announcements. A high school graduate, Coristine's experience before Doge was largely limited to a few months working for Neuralink – which Musk owns – and as an intern for a cybersecurity company, which Bloomberg reported fired him for leaking company secrets. Reuters also reported that Coristine had provided tech support to a cybercrime gang that had bragged about trafficking in stolen data and harassing an FBI agent. At Doge, Coristine was dropped into several major government agencies as they went about slashing services and terminating thousands of workers. Last month, Reuters reported that Coristine was one of two Doge associates promoting the use of artificial intelligence AI across the federal bureaucracy. Musk also left Doge in May after months working by Donald Trump's side then falling out with him. Doge, however, continued to operate until Trump's budget chief, hard right nationalist Russell Vought, who says he wants government employees 'in trauma'. On Friday the Washington Post reported, citing anonymous sources, that Doge's latest target was the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), attempting to slash gun restrictions. Nick Robins-Early and Reuters contributed reporting
The Hill
10 hours ago
- Business
- The Hill
Former DOGE aide ‘Big Balls' returns to government
Teen tech wunderkind Edward Coristine, a former Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) aide known as 'Big Balls,' is now working at the Social Security Administration (SSA), the agency confirmed Friday. 'Edward Coristine joined the Social Security Administration this week as a Special Government Employee,' SSA spokesman Stephen McGraw said in a statement to The Hill. 'His work will be focused on improving the functionality of the Social Security website and advancing our mission of delivering more efficient service to the American people.' The White House had confirmed to The Hill this week that Cortisine, whose 'Big Balls' nickname comes from the moniker he has used online, resigned from his DOGE position. After President Trump and tech billionaire Elon Musk's explosive fallout earlier this month over the GOP megabill, Rep. Jared Moskowitz (D-Fla.) and other critics cracked jokes about who would get 'custody' of the 19-year-old technologist with the notable online alias. The Tesla CEO had brought Coristine to the federal government to serve on the advisory committee tasked with cutting federal spending and eliminating waste in the government. 'Now that the national divorce is happening … who's gonna get 'Big Balls'?' Moskowitz asked during a House Oversight and Government Reform Committee hearing. 'I'm worried about him. The children always get caught in the middle.' Musk's time as a special government employee lapsed at the end of May. Other DOGE aides also stepped down at that time. Coristine's account on the Musk-owned social platform X (@edwardbigballer) is now set to private. Wired reported that multiple sources told the tech-focused outlet that he has been working this week at the SSA's headquarters near Baltimore and was spotted at the cafeteria there Monday. 'Coristine looked nervous, almost embarrassed,' an unnamed SSA source told the tech outlet.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Business
- Yahoo
‘Big Balls' now working at Social Security Administration after departing DOGE: report
Edward Coristine, the 19-year-old nicknamed 'Big Balls' who was working in the Department of Government Efficiency, has landed a new role at the Social Security Administration. Coristine, who was hired by Elon Musk to join the DOGE team, recently left the White House but a Social Security Administration spokesperson confirmed he has since joined the agency as a special government employee. 'Edward Coristine joined the Social Security Administration this week as a special government employee,' spokesperson Stephen McGraw told WIRED. 'His work will be focused on improving the functionality of the Social Security website and advancing our mission of delivering more efficient service to the American people.' It was not immediately clear when Coristine started his new role. Sources told the outlet that Coristine 'looked nervous' and 'almost embarrassed' after being spotted at the agency's Woodlawn headquarters in Maryland this week. He was seen with DOGE engineer Aram Moghaddassi, another Musk hire who is working for X and Neuralink. 'Coristine looked nervous, almost embarrassed,' the source told WIRED. 'Aram was on the phone with someone … then said 'Yes I'm with him right now,' gesturing to Big Balls.'' Coristine's appointment at the agency follows a recent report that Musk and allies insisted on giving a 21-year-old former Silicon Valley intern sweeping access to personal data on hundreds of millions of Americans at the Social Security Administration. Musk ordered 21-year-old Akash Bobba, a former Palantir intern who'd been hired as a programmer for DOGE, be granted access to Social Security data without proper training so he could run his own analysis, The New York Times reported. When the acting commissioner, Michelle King, declined to do so, Musk had her fired and replaced with Leland Dudek. Dudek, brought back from a suspension on the DOGE team's recommendation, got Bobba the access. Coristine was first selected to work for the Tesla boss as a technologist, and received full-time staff status at the General Services Administration last month. Coristine became well known online and among Musk's immense fanbase publicly after he was paraded on Fox News alongside his boss. 'Who is Big Balls?' host Jesse Watters asked on his program, surrounded by DOGE members and supporters at a huge oval conference table. 'I am,' piped up 19-year-old DOGE staff member Edward Coristine. 'That should be obvious,' Musk quipped to laughter. Coristine claimed to have caught the eye of the world's richest man after simply changing his name on LinkedIn to 'Big Balls.' In addition to his brief stint as a government employee, the teenage high school graduate worked at Neuralink for several months and founded a company called LLC in 2021, according to WIRED. Speaking to Fox News, Coristine stated that while working in the State Department's Bureau of Diplomatic Technology, he used 'computer stuff' as he claimed to ferret out 'fraud and waste,' the old mantra of his former boss. With additional reporting from Mike Bedigan
The Independent
a day ago
- Business
- The Independent
‘Big Balls' now working at Social Security Administration after departing DOGE: report
Edward Coristine, the 19-year-old nicknamed 'Big Balls' who was working in the Department of Government Efficiency, has landed a new role at the Social Security Administration. Coristine, who was hired by Elon Musk to join the DOGE team, recently left the White House but a Social Security Administration spokesperson confirmed he has since joined the agency as a special government employee. 'Edward Coristine joined the Social Security Administration this week as a special government employee,' spokesperson Stephen McGraw told WIRED. 'His work will be focused on improving the functionality of the Social Security website and advancing our mission of delivering more efficient service to the American people.' It was not immediately clear when Coristine started his new role. Sources told the outlet that Coristine 'looked nervous' and 'almost embarrassed' after being spotted at the agency's Woodlawn headquarters in Maryland this week. He was seen with DOGE engineer Aram Moghaddassi, another Musk hire who is working for X and Neuralink. 'Coristine looked nervous, almost embarrassed,' the source told WIRED. 'Aram was on the phone with someone … then said 'Yes I'm with him right now,' gesturing to Big Balls.'' Coristine's appointment at the agency follows a recent report that Musk and allies insisted on giving a 21-year-old former Silicon Valley intern sweeping access to personal data on hundreds of millions of Americans at the Social Security Administration. Musk ordered 21-year-old Akash Bobba, a former Palantir intern who'd been hired as a programmer for DOGE, be granted access to Social Security data without proper training so he could run his own analysis, The New York Times reported. When the acting commissioner, Michelle King, declined to do so, Musk had her fired and replaced with Leland Dudek. Dudek, brought back from a suspension on the DOGE team's recommendation, got Bobba the access. Coristine was first selected to work for the Tesla boss as a technologist, and received full-time staff status at the General Services Administration last month. Coristine became well known online and among Musk's immense fanbase publicly after he was paraded on Fox News alongside his boss. 'Who is Big Balls?' host Jesse Watters asked on his program, surrounded by DOGE members and supporters at a huge oval conference table. 'I am,' piped up 19-year-old DOGE staff member Edward Coristine. 'That should be obvious,' Musk quipped to laughter. Coristine claimed to have caught the eye of the world's richest man after simply changing his name on LinkedIn to 'Big Balls.' In addition to his brief stint as a government employee, the teenage high school graduate worked at Neuralink for several months and founded a company called LLC in 2021, according to WIRED. Speaking to Fox News, Coristine stated that while working in the State Department's Bureau of Diplomatic Technology, he used 'computer stuff' as he claimed to ferret out 'fraud and waste,' the old mantra of his former boss.
WIRED
a day ago
- Business
- WIRED
‘Big Balls' Is Now at the Social Security Administration
Edward "Big Balls" Coristine's placement at the SSA comes after a White House official told WIRED on Tuesday that the 19-year-old had resigned from his position in government. The seal of the US Social Security Administration outside the agency's headquarters in Woodlawn, Maryland, US, on Wednesday, Feb. 19, 2025. Photograph:Edward 'Big Balls' Coristine, one of the first young technologists brought on to Elon Musk's so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), has returned to government shortly after resigning. 'Edward Coristine joined the Social Security Administration this week as a special government employee,' Stephen McGraw, an SSA spokesperson, tells WIRED. 'His work will be focused on improving the functionality of the Social Security website and advancing our mission of delivering more efficient service to the American people.' Multiple sources at the SSA tell WIRED that Coristine has appeared in person to work on-site at the agency's Woodlawn, Maryland headquarters. One SSA employee says they saw Coristine with DOGE engineer Aram Moghaddassi, a current X and former Neuralink employee deployed at the agency. The pair was spotted at the SSA cafeteria as recently as Monday, although it's unclear what day this week Coristine's employment officially began. 'Coristine looked nervous, almost embarrassed,' the SSA source says. 'Aram was on the phone with someone … then said 'Yes I'm with him right now,' gesturing to Big Balls.'' Coristine and Moghaddassi did not immediately reply to requests for comment. Coristine's re-hiring comes after a White House official told WIRED on Tuesday that the 19-year-old had resigned from his position in government. A Trump administration official confirms to WIRED that Coristine did indeed resign on Monday, and then was brought back by the SSA later in the week. Coristine became a full-time government employee at the General Services Administration (GSA) on May 30, WIRED reported earlier this month, converting from the restricted special government employee classification, which has a time limit of 130 days. As of Tuesday afternoon, Coristine's Google Workspace account with the GSA had been disabled and his name did not appear on a list of DOGE employees on the federal payroll maintained by a senior administration official. The GSA did not respond to multiple requests for comment. Coristine was one of a handful of DOGE engineers who worked across many government agencies, including the Office of Personnel Management, the Department of Health and Human Services, the US Agency for International Development, the State Department, and the Department of Homeland Security, among others. Coristine isn't known to have previously worked at the SSA. A 19-year-old high school graduate who worked at Musk's Neuralink for several months, Coristine has gone by the handle 'Big Balls' online and joined the government with no prior experience. He has also founded a company called LLC in 2021 and worked for a startup known for hiring blackhat hackers; he was reportedly fired after being suspected of leaking internal information. Sahil Lavingia, a former DOGE member who WIRED first identified at the Department of Veterans' Affairs, told WIRED that 'it felt like there was no real connection besides Elon being in the White House.' Speaking about an all-DOGE meeting with Musk held in March, Lavingia says, 'the only person from the White House was Katie Miller.' Miller left the White House with Musk and now works for the centibillionaire. Richard Pierce, a law professor at George Washington University, tells WIRED that the White House not knowing that a recently departed employee had been rehired was 'abnormal, but it seems to be normal for this administration.'
