, who goes by the nickname "
Big Balls", from Elon Musk’s so-called “department of government efficiency” (Doge), resigned from the US government this week. Edward, one of the most talked-about staff members from DOGE has quit DOGE just days after Musk's departure, adding to the ongoing wave of DOGE-related resignations. The 19-year-old technologist had worked at multiple agencies, most recently the
Social Security Administration. Coristine was a key player on Elon Musk’s team that spearheaded a widespread effort to slash the federal bureaucracy.
Coristine’s government email account with the General Services Administration — the agency DOGE has used to coordinate many of its activities — was deactivated as of Tuesday afternoon, according to The New York Post. White House spokesperson confirmed that Edward Coristine, a 19-year-old who earned the nickname "Big Balls" and was among DOGE's original staffers, has left both his position and the administration.
Edward Coristine garnered significant attention not only because of his nickname "Big Balls" but also due to his youth and limited work background. His lack of professional experience seemed to mirror a broader group of DOGE staff members tasked with dismantling the federal government under Musk’s leadership.
Edward completed his graduation from high school in Rye, New York, last year and was enrolled as an engineering student at Northeastern University. He was later hired at DOGE and Coristine secured full-time employment at the GSA late last month. Despite a brief stint at Musk’s Neuralink company, before joining DOGE, Coristine quickly moved into prominent government roles.
Edward was fired from a data security firm where he was interning after an investigation revealed him leaking internal information. He appeared in a Fox News segment that aired in May on Musk and his team. The host, Jesse Watters, asked, "
Who is Big Balls?" Musk said, "That should be obvious," as Coristine raised his hand. "I just set it as my LinkedIn username," Coristine said of the pseudonym. "People on LinkedIn take themselves, like, super seriously and are adverse to risks. And I was like, well, I want to be neither of those things." The moniker even got a mention on "Saturday Night Live."
Zohran Mamdani's win rattles Wall Street mogul: Bill Ackman's stunning pledge to crush NY's likely new mayor Since February, Coristine has juggled multiple roles overseeing a long list of government agencies and working on projects of interest to Musk. Coristine had been involved in DOGE activities in the General Services Administration, the U.S. Agency for International Development, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, and the Departments of Education, Health and Human Services and Homeland Security.
He was most recently seen working in the Social Security Administration, and had an email address affiliated with the agency. He was earlier involved in efforts to slash the State Department's budget, helping to direct plans to close diplomatic offices and fire overseas employees.
He later moved on to assist in building a system for the United States to sell special immigration visas, which President Donald Trump has labeled "gold cards," for $5 million apiece.
