Edward Coristine
{{Short description|American software engineer}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=February 2025}}
Edward Coristine (born December 2005), also known by the online alias "Big Balls",{{Cite web |date=2025-02-11 |title=Musk teenage staffer 'Big Balls' now State Department adviser: Report |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/elon-musk-doge-edward-coristine-b2695812.html |access-date=2025-02-12 |website=The Independent |language=en}} is an American college student and programmer appointed to the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE){{Cite magazine |last=Elliott |first=Vittoria |title=The Young, Inexperienced Engineers Aiding Elon Musk's Government Takeover |url=https://www.wired.com/story/elon-musk-government-young-engineers/ |access-date=February 3, 2025 |magazine=Wired |language=en-US |issn=1059-1028}}{{Cite web |last=Townsend |first=Chance |date=February 3, 2025 |title=Elon Musk's DOGE takeover is reportedly being spearheaded by young college grads |url=https://mashable.com/article/elon-musk-doge-college-student-takeover |access-date=February 3, 2025 |website=Mashable |language=en}}{{Cite web |last1=Leopold |first1=Jason |last2=Cormier |first2=Anthony |date=February 3, 2025 |title=Behind DOGE's Standoff at USAID: Desk Searches and Elon Musk Calling |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-02-03/behind-doge-s-standoff-at-usaid-desk-searches-and-elon-musk-calling?embedded-checkout=true |access-date=February 3, 2025 |website=www.bloomberg.com}}, and made a permanent federal employee with the title Senior Advisor at the GS-15 pay grade in the General Services Administration on May 31, 2025.{{Cite magazine |last=Kelly |first=Makena |title=‘Big Balls’ Is Officially a Full-Time Government Employee |url=https://www.wired.com/story/big-balls-young-doge-converted-into-full-time-government-employees/ |access-date=June 4, 2025 |magazine=Wired |language=en-US |issn=1059-1028}}
Early life and education
Coristine was born in December 2005.{{cite web |last1=Spatz |first1=Emily |title=First-year Northeastern student has a role at Musk's DOGE, according to reports |url=https://www.bostonglobe.com/2025/02/04/metro/doge-staff-northeastern-coristine/ |website=bostonglobe.com |publisher=The Boston Globe |access-date=6 February 2025}}{{cite web |last1=Farrar |first1=Molly |title=Harvard senior, Northeastern first-year student reportedly among Musk's DOGE team |url=https://www.boston.com/news/politics/2025/02/04/harvard-senior-northeastern-first-year-student-reportedly-among-musks-doge-team/ |website=boston.com |access-date=6 February 2025}} His maternal grandfather Valery Martynov was a KGB Lieutenant Colonel executed by the Soviet Union as a double agent. After his execution his widow moved with her children, including Coristine's mother, to the United States.{{cite web |last1=Sommerlad |first1=Joe |title=Elon Musk's protege 'Big Balls' is grandson of executed KGB agent, report says |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/elon-musk-s-protege-big-balls-is-grandson-of-executed-kgb-agent-report-says-b2703739.html |website=independent.co.uk |publisher=The Independent |access-date=27 March 2025}}
According to his LinkedIn résumé, Coristine graduated from Rye Country Day School in 2024, and attends Northeastern University.{{Cite magazine |last=Kelly |first=Makena |title=Government Tech Workers Forced to Defend Projects to Random Elon Musk Bros |url=https://www.wired.com/story/elon-musk-government-tech-workers-gsa-tts/ |access-date=February 3, 2025 |magazine=Wired |language=en-US |issn=1059-1028}}{{Cite web |last=Talbot |first=Hope |date=February 3, 2025 |title=Musk's DOGE employs a 19-year-old who goes by 'Big Balls' on LinkedIn |url=https://www.dailydot.com/debug/doge-employee-big-balls-on-linkedin/ |access-date=February 3, 2025 |website=The Daily Dot |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |date=October 3, 2023 |title=2023 Excellence Magazine by Rye Country Day School - Issuu |url=https://issuu.com/ryecountryday/docs/rcds_2023_excellence_magazine_final_singles |access-date=February 3, 2025 |website=issuu.com |language=en}}
He enrolled at Northeastern University in 2024 as a mechanical engineering and physics major.{{cite web |last1=Sharma |first1=Sanjay |title=Edward Coristine education and career: How this college kid with a Physics Major ended up in Musk-led DOGE |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/education/news/edward-coristine-education-and-career-how-this-college-kid-with-a-physics-major-landed-up-in-musk-led-doge/articleshow/117953212.cms |website=indiatimes.com |publisher=Times of India |access-date=6 February 2025}} His expected year of graduation is 2028. School friends describe him as intelligent and driven, with Elon Musk being his hero. {{cite web |title=This 19-Year-Old Musk Minion Dropped Out of School to Smash the Government |url=https://www.thedailybeast.com/ethan-coristine-popcorn-prince-who-followed-elon-musk-to-doge-considers-him-his-idol/ |website=thedailybeast.com |publisher=The Daily Beast |access-date=6 February 2025}}{{cite web |last1=MacDiarmid |first1=Zoe |title=Northeastern student identified as engineer for Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency |url=https://huntnewsnu.com/83444/campus/northeastern-student-identified-as-engineer-for-elon-musks-department-of-government-efficiency/ |website=huntnewsnu.com |publisher=The Huntington News |access-date=6 February 2025}}
Coristine is a registered Republican.
Career
Coristine has founded a number of startups with companies registered in Connecticut, Delaware, and the United Kingdom. One of the startups offers an artificial intelligence Discord bot for the Russian market.{{cite web |last1=Burman |first1=Theo |title=Who is 'Big Balls'? Teen DOGE Engineer Edward Coristine |url=https://www.newsweek.com/who-big-balls-teen-doge-engineer-edward-coristine-2027698 |website=newsweek.com |publisher=Newsweek |access-date=8 February 2025}} Coristine has a limited liability company named TESLA.SEXY.{{cite web |last1=Fenster |first1=Jordan Nathaniel |title=Youngest member of Musk's team at DOGE is from New Canaan, media reports say |url=https://www.stamfordadvocate.com/connecticut/article/edward-coristine-doge-elon-musk-new-canaan-20149280.php |website=stamfordadvocate.com |publisher=Stamford Advocate |access-date=6 February 2025}}{{cite web |title=Elon Musk is the 'idol' of DOGE's youngest staff Edward Coristine who founded 'Tesla.Sexy LLC' |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/us/elon-musk-is-the-idol-of-doges-youngest-staff-edward-coristine-who-founded-tesla-sexy-llc/articleshow/117985729.cms |website=indiatimes.com |publisher=Times of India |access-date=6 February 2025}}
He briefly worked for cybersecurity firm Path Network.{{cite magazine |last1=Ferguson |first1=Malcolm |title=Musk's DOGE Teen Minion Was Once Fired for Leaking Company Secrets |url=https://newrepublic.com/post/191325/elon-musk-doge-teen-coristine-fired-leaking-company-secrets |website=newrepublic.com |publisher=The New Republic |access-date=8 February 2025}} Bloomberg News reported that Coristine had been fired from his internship at cybersecurity firm Path Network in 2022 for allegedly leaking internal company information to a competitor. Following his dismissal, a large collection of internal Path documents and conversations was leaked online. Coristine wrote that he had retained access to Path Network's servers, but claimed he did not exploit it.{{Cite news |last1=Leopold |first1=Jason |last2=Murphy |first2=Margi |last3=Alexander |first3=Sophie |last4=Bleiberg |first4=Jake |last5=Cormier |first5=Anthony |date=2025-01-07 |title=Musk's DOGE Teen Was Fired By Cybersecurity Firm for Leaking Company Secrets |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-02-07/musk-s-doge-teen-was-fired-by-cybersecurity-firm-for-leaking-company-secrets |access-date=2025-01-07 |work=Bloomberg News}} Path Network confirmed that Coristine had been fired following a security incident.{{cite web |last1=Fenster |first1=Jordan Nathaniel |last2=Eaton |first2=Joshua |title=New Canaan teen on Musk's DOGE team was fired by cybersecurity firm, report says |url=https://www.ctinsider.com/connecticut/article/elon-musk-doge-ct-edward-coristine-trump-20154340.php |website=ctinsider.com |publisher=CT Insider |access-date=9 February 2025}}{{cite web |last1=de Puy Kamp |first1=Majlie |title=Recording reveals new details on controversial DOGE employee |url=https://www.cnn.com/2025/02/21/politics/doge-musk-edward-coristine-invs/index.html |website=cnn.com |publisher=CNN |access-date=27 March 2025}}
He briefly worked for LesserEvil, a snack company owned by his father Charles Coristine. LesserEvil distanced themselves from Edward following his involvement in DOGE.{{cite web |last1=Feiner |first1=Lauren |title=Popcorn brand distances itself from DOGE employee 'Big Balls' after backlash |url=https://www.theverge.com/news/611388/lesserevil-popcorn-edward-coristine-doge-big-balls |website=theverge.com |publisher=The Verge |access-date=27 March 2025}}
Coristine worked briefly at Neuralink before moving to the Department of Government Efficiency. Coristine is among a group of 19 to 24 year olds without prior experience in government appointed to the Department of Government Efficiency.{{Cite web |date=January 29, 2025 |title=Elon Puts Kid Who Just Graduated From High School in Charge of Disemboweling the US Government |url=https://futurism.com/elon-kids-gutting-opm-doge |access-date=February 3, 2025 |website=Futurism}}{{cite web |last1=Ensor |first1=Josie |title=Meet Elon Musk's 'baby-faced assassins' leading Doge takeover |url=https://www.thetimes.com/us/american-politics/article/who-are-doge-elon-musk-baby-faced-assassins-0tj2qq0mv |website=thetimes.com |publisher=The Times |access-date=6 February 2025}} Coristine is the youngest member of the group.{{cite web |last1=Lubin |first1=Rhian |last2=Marcus |first2=Josh |title=The seven techies barely out of college helping Musk to slash billions from federal government |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/elon-musk-doge-trump-marko-elez-age-b2692402.html |website=independent.co.uk |publisher=The Independent |access-date=6 February 2025}} He works within the Office of Personnel Management (OPM), reporting directly to Amanda Scales, a former xAI employee appointed as OPM chief of staff.{{Cite web |last=Rogelberg |first=Sasha |title=Top hires in Trump's Office of Personnel Management reportedly include a 21-year-old and a freshly graduated high-schooler |url=https://fortune.com/2025/01/29/top-hires-donald-trump-office-of-personnel-management-high-school-graduate-gen-z-elon-musk/ |access-date=February 3, 2025 |website=Fortune |language=en}} OPM records list his role as an "expert". According to Wired, Coristine has sat in on calls using a non-government email address where workers were made to "go over code they had written and justify their jobs."
In 2025, Coristine held a call with federal Small Business Administration staff detailing the level of access wanted by DOGE, including human resources, contract, and payment systems.{{Cite news |title=Trump takes steps to shutter USAID and gives Musk unprecedented access to federal systems |last=Barrón-López |first=Laura |date=2025-02-03 |url=https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/trump-takes-steps-to-shutter-usaid-and-gives-musk-unprecedented-access-to-federal-systems |access-date=2025-02-05 |work=PBS News Hour}} He reportedly signed into the call from a non-government email address.{{cite magazine |title=DOGE Teen Owns 'Tesla.Sexy LLC' and Worked at Startup That Has Hired Convicted Hackers |url=https://www.wired.com/story/edward-coristine-tesla-sexy-path-networks-doge/ |website=wired.com |publisher=Wired |access-date=6 February 2025 |last1=Greenberg |first1=Andy }}
Brian Krebs reported that Coristine had previously been active in online communities known as "The Com," a network of Discord and Telegram channels associated with cybercrime activities.{{cite web |last=Krebs |first=Brian |date=February 7, 2025 |title=Teen on Musk's DOGE Team Graduated from 'The Com' |url=https://krebsonsecurity.com/2025/02/teen-on-musks-doge-team-graduated-from-the-com/ |website=KrebsOnSecurity |access-date=February 9, 2025}}{{cite web |last=Krebs |first=Brian |date=February 7, 2025 |title=Teen on Musk's DOGE Team Graduated from 'The Com' |url=https://krebsonsecurity.com/2025/02/teen-on-musks-doge-team-graduated-from-the-com/ |website=KrebsOnSecurity |access-date=February 9, 2025}}
The Washington Post reported Coristine became a senior advisor in the Bureau of Diplomatic Technology of the United States Department of State. The Post also reported that Coristine is a senior adviser at the Department of Homeland Security and the Federal Emergency Management Agency and had a position in the United States Agency for International Development.{{Cite news |last1=Siddiqui |first1=Faiz |last2=Hudson |first2=John |last3=Stanley-Becker |first3=Isaac |date=10 February 2025 |title=19-year-old Musk surrogate takes on roles at State Department and DHS |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2025/02/10/musk-doge-state-department-surrogate/ |access-date=10 February 2025 |newspaper=The Washington Post}}{{cite web |last1=Dodds |first1=Io |title=Elon Musk's teenage high school grad staffer known as 'Big Balls' now State Department adviser: Report |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/elon-musk-doge-edward-coristine-b2695812.html |website=independent.co.uk |publisher=The Independent |access-date=11 February 2025}}{{cite web |last1=Ropek |first1=Lucas |title=I Regret to Inform You That a 19-Year-Old DOGE Stooge Named 'Big Balls' Is Now Advising the State Department |url=https://gizmodo.com/i-regret-to-inform-you-that-a-19-year-old-doge-stooge-named-big-balls-is-now-advising-the-state-department-2000562035 |website=gizmodo.com |publisher=Gizmodo |access-date=11 February 2025}}
In 2025, Coristine was a staff member at the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency.{{Cite magazine| issn = 1059-1028| last = Zetter| first = Kim| title = DOGE Now Has Access to the Top US Cybersecurity Agency| magazine = Wired| access-date = 2025-03-25| url = https://www.wired.com/story/doge-cisa-coristine-cybersecurity/}}{{cite web |last1=DiMolfetta |first1=David |title=DOGE employee Edward Coristine lands at CISA with DHS email |url=https://www.nextgov.com/cybersecurity/2025/02/doge-employee-edward-coristine-lands-cisa-dhs-email/403126/ |website=nextgov.com |publisher=NextGov |access-date=27 March 2025}}
Reuters published a story alleging that Coristine's online content delivery network DiamondCDN had facilitated the work of the cybercriminal group EGodly.{{cite web |last1=Kimmins |first1=Leigh |title=Musk's DOGE Goon 'Big Balls' Helped Gang That Abused FBI Agent |url=https://www.thedailybeast.com/musks-doge-goon-big-balls-helped-gang-that-abused-fbi-agent/ |website=thedailybeast.com |publisher=The Daily Beast |access-date=27 March 2025}}{{cite web |last1=Liddell |first1=James |title='Big Balls' gave tech support to criminal group that cyberstalked an FBI agent, report says |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/doge-big-balls-musk-fbi-coristine-b2722062.html |website=independent.co.uk |publisher=The Independent |access-date=27 March 2025}}{{cite web |last1=Hewson |first1=Georgie |title=DOGE staffer calling himself 'big balls' provided tech support to cybercrime ring, records show |url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-03-27/doge-staff-big-balls-provided-tech-support-to-cybercrime-ring/105101466 |website=abc.net.au |publisher=Australian Broadcasting Network |access-date=27 March 2025}}{{cite web |last1=Gault |first1=Matthew |title=Elon Musk's 'Big Balls' Doge Staffer Reportedly Ran Tech Support for a Cybercrime Ring |url=https://gizmodo.com/elon-musks-big-balls-doge-staffer-reportedly-ran-tech-support-for-a-cybercrime-ring-2000580985 |website=gizmodo.com |publisher=Gizmodo |access-date=27 March 2025}} In 2023 Egodly thanked Coristine saying “We extend our gratitude to our valued partners DiamondCDN for generously providing us with their amazing DDoS protection and caching systems, which allow us to securely host and safeguard our website,” Egodly has claimed involvement in a number of crimes including email hacking, theft of cryptocurrency, and the harassment of a former FBI agent.{{cite web |title=Teen member of Musk's Doge staff provided tech support to cybercrime ring, records show |url=https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/mar/26/teen-doge-staff-cybercrime-ring |website=The Guardian |access-date=27 March 2025}}{{cite web |last1=Landymore |first1=Frank |title=One of Elon Musk's DOGE Kids Reportedly Helped a Cybercrime Ring |url=https://futurism.com/doge-kid-helped-cybercrime-ring |website=futurism.com |publisher=Futurism |access-date=27 March 2025}}
On June 4, Wired reported that Coristine has signed as a full-time General Services Administration employee, effective May 31, at a General Schedule grade of 15, the top grade.
== Popular culture ==
A character parodying Edward Coristine played by Andrew Dismukes appeared on Saturday Night Live in March 2025.{{cite web |last1=MacDiarmid |first1=Zoe |title=SNL parodies Northeastern DOGE engineer in Trump-Zelenskyy skit |url=https://huntnewsnu.com/84522/lifestyle/snl-parodies-northeastern-doge-engineer-in-trump-zelenskyy-skit/ |website=huntnewsnu.com |publisher=The Huntington News |access-date=27 March 2025}}{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CUpOMSJ1MdU |title=Elon Musk Cold Open - SNL |date=2025-03-01 |last= |publisher=Saturday Night Live |access-date=2025-04-07 |via=YouTube}}
Coristine used the moniker "bigballs" on LinkedIn and @Edwardbigballer on Twitter, according to The Daily Dot.{{Cite news |last=Henderson |first=Cameron |date=February 3, 2025 |title=Musk signs up university-aged team to dismantle foreign aid |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/us/politics/2025/02/03/musk-university-aged-team-dismantle-foreign-aid/ |access-date=February 3, 2025 |work=The Telegraph |language=en-GB |issn=0307-1235}}
Coristine's monicker "big balls" has inspired a number of memes.{{cite web |title=Top 10 'Big Balls' memes |url=https://tribune.com.pk/story/2527137/top-10-big-balls-memes |website=tribune.com.pk |publisher=The Express Tribune |access-date=27 March 2025}}