'Big Balls' Controversy: Elon Musk's 19-Year-Old Protégé Lands Senior State Department Role, Sparking Outrage

Elon Musk's 19-year-old protégé, known online as 'Big Balls' and a former contributor to DOGE, has secured a senior position at the US State Department—an appointment that has sparked backlash among some agency staff.

Edward Coristine, nicknamed 'Big Balls,' first gained recognition as one of Musk's rising talents at the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), where he focused on reducing government expenditure.

A Controversial Appointment

Coristine, along with a group of young analysts—all aged 25 or younger—is credited with reviewing data from major federal agencies to streamline operations, identify wasteful spending, and provide recommendations to DOGE leadership.

The Washington Post reports that Coristine will become a 'senior advisor' at the State Department's Bureau of Diplomatic Technology. This new role will supplement the 19-year-old's current work at DOGE and the Office of Personnel Management.

The bureau is the State Department's IT centre, managing data and communications from U.S. diplomatic posts worldwide. State Department employees have voiced unease about Coristine's new position.

Prior Data Leak Raises Concerns

They point to the sensitive data handled by the department's IT bureau and a Bloomberg report detailing Coristine's dismissal from an internship for leaking confidential information to a competitor.

In a June 2022 message reviewed by Bloomberg, a Path Network executive confirmed Coristine's termination, calling his behaviour 'unacceptable' and stating, 'There is zero tolerance for this.'

A spokesperson for the company said, 'I can confirm that Edward Coristine's brief contract was terminated after the conclusion of an internal investigation into the leaking of proprietary company information that coincided with his tenure.'

In a 2022 Discord message reviewed by Bloomberg, Coristine confirmed he retained access to the cybersecurity firm's computers but denied misusing his privileges. 'I never exploited it because it's just not me,' Coristine wrote under the alias Rivage, according to Bloomberg.

Sources also told Bloomberg he uses the alias JoeyCrafter. Big Balls is another of his online nicknames. 'This is dangerous,' one anonymous U.S. official told the Washington Post about Coristine's new access.

Doubts About Experience And Judgment

The officials who spoke to the outlet expressed concern about the 19-year-old's access to classified documents. They also worried that Coristine could access sensitive information about other countries and diplomatic activities.

All of the State Department's data flows through the office Coristine recently joined, which the Post calls 'a treasure trove of information.' An anonymous source familiar with Coristine told the outlet, 'it's not like they have a history of informed political opinion.'

'They're just in it for solving hard problems: It's like, 'Oh, a big challenge, it's a big puzzle.' I'm sure he just grew up solving puzzles and doing hard problems, and this is just another one and also has the perk of being around the president and billionaires,' they revealed.

The source said that while the 19-year-old's technical skills were strong, his access to such valuable material after a short time at DOGE was worrisome. 'It's not at all appropriate, I don't think, for something with such a broad impact,' they shared.

However, Coristine isn't the only 'DOGE bro' with access to State Department data. Luke Farritor, 23, a DOGE colleague of Coristine's, was also listed in the department's directory as an IT bureau employee.