Elon Musk Staffer 'Big Balls' Joining Social Security Administration - Newsweek

Peter Aitken is a Newsweek Politics Editor based in New York. His focus is domestic U.S. politics, but he has experience covering Foreign Affairs, Business and Technology. Peter joined Newsweek in 2024 from Fox News Digital and had previously freelanced at Business Insider. He has interviewed such notable figures as Benjamin Netanyahu, Gen. David H. Petraeus, British Foreign Ministers James Cleverly and Grant Shapps and a ranking member of the Taliban. He graduated from the University of St. Andrews in Scotland, but is New York born and raised. You can get in touch with Peter by emailing [email protected]. Languages: English.

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Edward Coristine, the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) staffer known as "Big Balls," has taken up a new post at the Social Security Administration (SSA) after resigning from his previous post earlier this week.

Coristine's moves within the federal government have been carefully monitored and reported on by WIRED, which first broke the story of Coristine's resignation and subsequent move to SSA.

Newsweek reached out to the White House and SSA for comment by email outside of normal business hours Friday evening.

Coristine, a 19-year-old tech genius, came to the forefront of Elon Musk's DOGE initiative due to his age and nickname, which drew much mockery online – even as Coristine worked through some of the most sensitive systems and agencies in the federal government.

He has held posts at Health and Human Services, the General Services Administration, and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Agency. He was also involved in DOGE operations in the U.S. Agency for International Development, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, and the Department of Education.

Prior to joining the federal government, Coristine was enrolled at Northeastern University as an engineering student, and he worked at a data security firm, where he was fired after an investigation tied him to an alleged data leak to a competitor, according to The Guardian.

He also founded at least five companies across multiple jurisdictions, including Connecticut, Delaware, and the United Kingdom, including Tesla.Sexy LLC, which he registered at the age of 16.

Coristine's departure occurs as several other DOGE employees depart in the wake of Musk's return to the private sector, including Steve Davis, who ran DOGE's day-to-day operations.

SSA employees told WIRED that they saw Coristine at the SSA headquarters in Woodlawn, Maryland, on Monday before he resigned from his position, which the White House confirmed on Tuesday.

However, The New York Times reported that the statement was modified to note that he had only resigned from his position with the General Services Administration, which coordinates many of DOGE's activities.

In a statement to the outlet, SSA Spokesperson Stephen McGraw said Coristine joined the agency as a special government employee whose work will focus on "improving the functionality of the Social Security website and advancing our mission of delivering more efficient service to the American people.

As a special government employee, Coristine will perform "important, but limited, service to the government, with or without compensation, for a period not to exceed 130 days" within a one-year period.

Right-wing journalist Nick Sortor wrote on X: "LET'S GO! Edward "Big Balls" Coristine is now working full-time within the Social Security Administration identifying the RAMPANT waste, fraud, and abuse that plagues the agency."

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