Elon Musk’s contentious government project, DOGE, has ignited considerable discussion. Although it does not officially qualify as a governmental body, DOGE was empowered by the Trump administration to examine purported government fraud and inefficiencies. Nonetheless, the group has not yet delivered any significant results.
Regardless, Musk and his associates have been aggressively dismantling segments of the federal government. Reductions to [USAID](https://mashable.com/article/usaid-elon-musk-what-is-it-how-it-works) have led to the cessation of essential life-saving initiatives aimed at at-risk populations. Key federal staff, including park rangers, have been [terminated](https://apnews.com/article/trump-national-park-firings-doge-grand-teton-baedee0a748a6374eafb6f95aac5dadc). Simultaneously, DOGE continues to analyze sensitive government information, with possible reductions in funding for programs such as [Social Security](https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2025/03/25/social-security-phones-doge-cuts/).
Nevertheless, the debate over DOGE encompasses not only its operations but also the individuals overseeing it.
### **Questionable and Inexperienced Appointments**
A [WIRED report](https://www.wired.com/story/elon-musk-government-young-engineers/) published last month highlighted that many DOGE staff members are youthful, inexperienced technology personnel—some even in their teens and early 20s—who look up to Musk. While youth itself may not be disqualifying, deeper inquiries into these appointments have raised significant alarm.
A [recent report](https://www.reuters.com/world/us/doge-staffer-big-balls-provided-tech-support-cybercrime-ring-records-show-2025-03-26/) from Reuters revealed that one DOGE staff member, 19-year-old Edward Coristine, had previous ties to a cybercrime organization known as “EGodly.”
Coristine, who is known online as “Big Balls,” supplied technical assistance to cybercriminals via his enterprise, DiamondCDN. EGodly had publicly recognized Coristine’s contributions.
> “We thank our esteemed partners DiamondCDN for their exceptional DDoS protection and caching systems, which help us securely host and protect our website,” stated a message from EGodly’s Telegram channel, as conveyed by Reuters.
The cybercrime group has claimed responsibility for taking over phone numbers, infiltrating law enforcement email accounts, and stealing digital currency. In one incident, they made private information allegedly pertaining to an FBI agent, including his phone number and images of his residence, public.
### **A History of Concerning Conduct**
This is not the initial instance of DOGE employees being associated with inappropriate behavior. A [prior report](https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-02-07/musk-s-doge-teen-was-fired-by-cybersecurity-firm-for-leaking-company-secrets?sref=YfHlo0rL) from *Bloomberg* indicated that Coristine had been a former staff member at the cybersecurity firm Path Network, where he was terminated for disclosing confidential company details to rivals.
However, Coristine is not the only troubling character at DOGE. Another employee, 25-year-old Marko Elez, resigned after his past racist comments on social media came to light. Elez had called for his followers to “normalize Indian hate” and previously stated:
> “Just for the record, I was racist before it was cool. You could not pay me to marry outside of my ethnicity.”
Despite his resignation, Musk rehired Elez merely a day later to continue his role at DOGE.
Regarding Coristine, it seems unlikely that he will face repercussions for his earlier affiliations with cybercriminals.
With such individuals leading DOGE, worries about the initiative’s authenticity and ethical integrity continue to escalate.