A19-year-old with a concerning “hacker” background known online as “Big Balls” is working as part of Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
One former FBI agent has said he would not have recommended Edward Coristine for government work, knowing his work experience to date.
Newsweek contacted Elon Musk via Twitter for comment on how Coristine was appointed to his position.
Why It Matters
Coristine’s recruitment to Musk’s team, which was commissioned by President Donald Trump to recommend ways to cut down on government spending, symbolizes the new administration’s unconventional approach to government reform.
DOGE has quickly become one of the most important additions to President Donald Trump’s new administration, with Musk’s advice being the driving force behind the USAID shutdown. It represents Trump’s election promises to cut back on federal spending and the “deep state.”
What To Know
Previously, it was reported that DOGE staff had received equivalent training and security clearance to federal employees who work with sensitive information. However, The White House has not confirmed if Coristine has received these clearances.
Coristine, a high school graduate with a history of launching startups, has founded at least five companies across multiple jurisdictions, including Connecticut, Delaware, and the United Kingdom.
However, many of these ventures were absent from his now-deleted LinkedIn profile. In 2022, he worked briefly for Path Network, a network monitoring company known for hiring former hackers, according to Wired. That same year, an individual using a Telegram alias linked to Coristine reportedly sought out a cyberattack-for-hire service.
One of Coristine’s ventures, Tesla.Sexy LLC, registered when he was just 16, manages dozens of web domains, including Russian-registered sites. One of these, still operational, offers Helfie, an AI-powered Discord bot operating in Russia, which could present security clearance challenges, per Wired.
Coristine worked at Neuralink, another Musk-run enterprise, before joining DOGE, where he has reportedly participated in meetings reviewing government personnel and code.
DOGE, which was mandated by the election result, has already been responsible for some of the biggest changes to the U.S. government in years, calling for the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) to be dismantled and its services moved to the State Department. It claims to have saved $1 billion a day in spending based on budget cuts alone.
However, the organization is solely advisory, and is not a full part of the federal government. All recommendations it makes must be approved by President Trump or his cabinet.
What People Are Saying
Elon Musk said on social media in response to Coristine being identified: “Can’t believe they doxxed another DOGE team member …”
Former FBI agent EJ Hilbert told Wired on Thursday: “If I was doing the background investigation on him, I would probably have recommended against hiring him for the work he’s doing. I’m not opposed to the idea of cleaning up the government. But I am questioning the people that are doing it.”
Source : https://www.newsweek.com/who-big-balls-teen-doge-engineer-edward-coristine-2027698
