Edward Coristine, a 19-year-old DOGE member, was fired by cybersecurity firm Path Network from an internship in June 2022 for allegedly leaking info to rivals
(Bloomberg) - Edward Coristine, a 19-year-old member of Elon Musk's squad that's criss-crossing US government agencies, was fired from an internship after he was accused of sharing information with a competitor. — www.bloomberg.com/news/article... X: Rakesh Agrawal / @rakeshsfnyc : Steve Jobs was 21 when he started Apple. Bill Gates was 20 when he co-founded Microsoft. Paul Allen was 22 when he co-founded Microsoft. In Farhi's world, I was 19 when I launched one of the first online newspapers. Remember gopher and lynx? Paul Farhi / @farhip : Musk's commando staff includes guys who are 21, 23, 24 and 25. One is *19* years old. His job title is “Expert.” When you were 19, what were you an expert at? Clara Jeffery / @clarajeffery : 1/ So @jasonleopold just posted a big story about one of Elon Musk's DOGE goons, the 19-yo Edward Coristine, who was fired from a data-security firm internship for...sharing company secrets. (gift link) https://www.bloomberg.com/... Sean Casten / @seancasten : There is absolutely no way that the Trump WH is doing necessary security vetting of these people. The entire operation is a national security liability. https://www.bloomberg.com/... Julia Davis / @juliadavisnews : Coristine regularly posted on both Discord and Telegram in 2021 and 2022. His posts are a mix of discussions about Path Network, coder-talk and lewd insults. On Telegram, he used language that suggested he was seeking a tool used in hacking. https://x.com/... @aghamilton29 : Yikes. I'm sympathetic to the idea of not letting the press control who gets hired, but it's increasingly clear that some of the DOGE hires were not properly vetted and should not have access to restricted government information. https://www.bloomberg.com/... Hamza Shaban / @hshaban : Coristine and other colleagues have discussed how they can use government datasets to potentially replace government employees with artificial intelligence and train chatbots to do the work, Bloomberg reports. https://www.bloomberg.com/... Meryl Kornfield / @merylkornfield : There seems to be some confusion on here about the Musk staffers. Big Balls isn't the one who posted about hating Indians and wanting to wipe Israel and Gaza “off the face of the Earth.” Big Balls is the one who was fired from a cybersecurity firm for leaking data. Rep. Eric Swalwell / @repswalwell : Your data has been breached. Donald Trump gave unvetted teenagers access to your most private information. We are fighting now in the courts. And, shortly, Democrats will use our votes — in government funding bill — to stop this madness and secure your data. Matthew Yglesias / @mattyglesias : Doesn't seem like an ideal situation. I'm sure all these guys are smart, but Musk clearly has a lot of personal solicitude for the government of China and who knows about his sidekicks. Mike Drucker / @mikedrucker : but i was told they only hire based on merit. i was born very recently and cannot believe this news. Jake Bleiberg / @jzbleiberg : A 19-year-old on Elon Musk's DOGE squad was fired from a cybersecurity firm after he was accused of leaking company secrets. He's now on one of the most high-profile teams in the Trump admin. W/@JasonLeopold, @MargiMurphy, @sooo__phie and @a_cormier_ https://www.bloomberg.com/... Sophie Alexander / @sooo__phie : NEW: Elon Musk's DOGE teenager Edward Coristine was fired from a cybersecurity firm after being accused of leaking internal info to a competitor. More nuggets on the young man with access to troves of govt data here: 🎁 https://www.bloomberg.com/... Daniel Goldman / @danielsgoldman : This is why vetting and security clearances matter. This guy stole company secrets for a competitor and now he has access to potentially classified information. Our competitors are China and Iran, not small tech companies. Will Congressional R's protect our national secrets? Rep. Don Beyer / @repdonbeyer : Just incredible incompetence - again - from Elon Musk, who staffed his team with leakers and racists and gave them access to sensitive government data and every American's personal information. Painfully obvious they did zero vetting on these people. https://www.bloomberg.com/... [image] Rat King / @mikeisaac : the problem with putting very young adults in high profile positions is that they grew up in an era of posting millennials should thank god every day that their AIM away messages are lost to the sands of time Jason Leopold / @jasonleopold : 🚨🚨BIG SCOOP: Musk's DOGE Teen Was Fired By Cybersecurity Firm for Leaking Company Secrets Edward Coristine posted online that he had retained access to the firm's servers. Now he has access to sensitive government information. https://www.bloomberg.com/... 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Context & Ripple Effects
The report adds an earlier alleged handling-of-confidential-information episode to scrutiny of DOGE personnel practices. That scrutiny had already intensified around a reported OPM server with access to federal employee data and DOGE’s operational move away from Slack while shifting into the Executive Office of the President.
It matters because an individual’s prior alleged conduct becomes more consequential when that individual is part of a team working across government agencies and potentially sensitive information systems.
First-order effects
- Coristine faces added reputational and vetting scrutiny over Path Network’s allegation that he shared internal information with competitors; the report does not establish the allegation as fact.
- DOGE’s leadership and the agencies engaging its staff face more pressure to demonstrate that access to sensitive systems is matched by appropriate personnel controls.
Second-order effects
- The disclosure gives congressional overseers, civil servants, and security teams a concrete personnel-history issue to weigh alongside concerns about DOGE’s access to government data.
- Organizations granting DOGE-linked personnel system access may tighten documentation, access reviews, and escalation procedures, particularly where information can be copied or shared externally.
Third-order effects
- If access to sensitive public systems is repeatedly paired with opaque staffing or security processes, government modernization efforts may face a stronger presumption that rapid deployment requires independent safeguards.
- The broader institutional question is whether political and operational urgency can coexist with durable, auditable controls over who receives access to high-value data.
The trend: This is one instance of intensifying scrutiny over how fast-moving, politically empowered technology teams are vetted and governed when they gain access to sensitive government information.