19-year-old techie at Elon Musk’s DOGE used internet moniker ‘Big Balls’: report
Edward Coristine, a 19-year-old technologist, is linked to Elon Musk's DOGE. Concerns arise over his security clearance eligibility due to a controversial past
Edward Coristine, a 19-year-old technologist known who once went by the internet moniker "Big Balls," has emerged as a prominent figure within Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). However, security experts have raised concerns about whether Coristine's professional and online history would meet the stringent requirements typically necessary to obtain security clearances in the US government, reported Wired.
First, some context
On Saturday, a small group of Elon Musk’s aides, known as the "DOGE kids," arrived at the nearly empty USAID headquarters in Washington, DC, and demanded access to the agency’s offices, including a secure room (SCIF) meant for classified and sensitive documents. This group included Edward Coristine.
The secure room at the US Agency for International Development (USAID) is designated for reviewing classified and sensitive information, and entry requires top-level security clearance.
The DOGE kids had been pressuring USAID officials for several days, and when a security official refused their request to enter the SCIF, they searched desks and went from office to office. One of them called Musk, who then threatened to involve the US Marshals Service if his team wasn’t given access to sensitive information. Eventually, they gained access to at least some of what they were after, though it’s unclear if they had the necessary security clearances.
The events of Saturday sparked significant controversy and backlash against DOGE and its young staffers, including Coristine.
Edward Coristine’s past
A Wired report did a deep dive into Coristine’s past and came up with some concerning details.
According to Wired, Edward Coristine, a 19-year-old high school graduate, has established at least five different companies in the last four years. Most of these companies were not listed on his LinkedIn, which has now been deleted.
He also referred to himself as “Big Balls” on his LinkedIn profile, which has disappeared since his role at the USAID stand-off gained public attention.
At 16, Coristine founded Tesla.Sexy LLC, a company managing numerous web domains, including some registered in Russia. One of these domains offers "Helfie," an AI bot designed for Discord servers targeting the Russian market. While operating a Russian website doesn't violate US sanctions, such foreign connections could be significant in security clearance evaluations.
In 2022, he also worked with Path Network, a firm known for hiring reformed hackers.
(Also read: Indian-origin engineer Akash Bobba caught in crossfire against Elon Musk's DOGE. Here's why)