Elon's 19-yr-old elite programmers rewriting the COBOL codebase for outgoing payments from the U.S. Treasury

At some level I have to give these kids credit for even knowing what the hell COBOL is and how to work with it. It's like asking a car mechanic in 2025 to tune a carburetor. Just because it's archaic technology doesn't mean you know how to use it.

I highly doubt many/any teens are doing COBOL programming at a high level, it's highly complex and while they could certainly learn it, that would be counterproductive to using their talents for far more useful and profitable avenues of employment. A lot of stuff still runs on COBOL and FORTRAN, but if that's all you do, you would starve and a 19 year old does not have enough accumulated days in their life to be proficient at COBOL and something else that is far more useful in 2025.

If true, it's a waste of talent and the kids are clearly being used and led down a dead end path.

COBOL! Nobody uses that antiquated sh!t anymore and a 19 year old certainly doesn't know it.

They are sending the code to a team of real experts overseas who will upload the replacement code with some fun easter eggs inside.

You don't think our retarded govt could possibly have 30+ year old programming language still in use? You've been asleep at the wheel then, EVERYTHING in our Federal Govt needs a complete overhaul.

Our Federal Government uses it.

It's not used for new systems, but there are still systems running that were written in COBOL. What makes you think a 19 year old couldn't learn it? All you have to do is google "intro to COBOL"! Then chatGPT can certainly help with logic and syntax.

Lots of stuff still runs on COBOL and FORTRAN. And you know why? Because they're fast. Not even C can compete with FORTRAN for sparse matrix calculations, for example.

Because neither of them are Gov employees. We have someone who just walked in there digging through our Treasury. Your social security number is on there.

How is this democracy in action? Trump appointed a guy that no one elected, does not hold an official government position so no confirmation hearings, was not clearance checked and has a serious conflict of interest (large active government contracts) to "cut costs". The first thing he does is bring in a team of also un-elected, non clearance checked programmers to start modifying the payment systems of the US. This contains classified data and lots of bank and personal data about US citizens. This should scare the crap out of everyone.

Agreed but I don't think the elected part should even matter. It's not like anyone elected should be able to do the rest of what you pointed out, especially without any safeguards and logs. Companies have been destroyed by this type of nonsense and have a lot of rules to protect themselves, but somehow the federal government is now a small family (mob) business.

I am so tired of this retarded argument.

The only federal employees who are elected are the president, vice president, senators, and representatives. The other 3 million federal employees are unelected. Many of them also have access to your social security number. Complaining about this only reveals that you don't know what you're talking about.

Its awesome!!!!

I love hearing about all the crap tax payers have been paying for stupid crap

30+? More like 60+ year old language! Imagine the hardware this runs on and trying to keep that hardware up and running.

What Trump has the power to do every other president has had the power to do (allowing for the current state of Congress).

Mayorkas wasn’t elected

Grantholm? Don’t think so?

Buttiegeg? Nice work in E Palestine? Don’t think he was elected

missing Sec of Defense? Certainly not elected

Stop it. It must really suck they have already found 0ver $250B in bs spends thru USAID

Yep, rather than the Kremlin it’s probably going to CHINA!

I am so sorry you are tired of people questioning illegal activity. There is no one overseeing what they are doing. Oversight officers were intentionally fired to hide it. They don't have security clearance. They did not get confirmed by Senate as any head of a dept with this kind of access is required to do. Massive conflict of interest including foreign businesses and government contracts.

All those federal employees have oversight and security clearances.

You conveniently ignored and didn't quote the other points of the post because it weakened your argument.

We should all be alarmed. But some want a handful of people to have total control of gevernment with no visibility or oversight, as long as it is "their side".

I would say this fellow is no dummy. Thank you Elon for all your efforts to expose the swamp and knowing what real talent not DEI hires can accomplish.