Social Security systems contain tens of millions of lines of code written in COBOL, an archaic programming language. Safely rewriting that code would take years—DOGE wants it done in months.
My company actually wrote their flagship software in COBOL starting in the 80s, and we’re only now six years into rewriting everything in a more modern language with probably four years to go.
I can’t imagine trying to start such a project like rewriting all of Social Security and thinking it will take months. You have to be a special kind of fatuous to unironically think that.
I was briefly employed at a firm that maintained the sales commission software for a large telecom firm.
It was 1.5 million lines of VB6, though VB8 was already three years old. Nobody knew all of it, so they couldn’t possibly rewrite it to handle all the edge cases and special incentives we kept having to add.
Except maybe the lone QA person, who would frequently begin sobbing at her desk. And we could all hear it because it was an open plan office and we weren’t allowed to wear headphones.
Similarly, my company are 4 years into a rewrite of a cobol mainframe system much simpler than Social Security. Which was going to “take a year” there’s at least 5 years left.
I know the UK benefits system took well over 12 years to build with an programming workforce of over 2000 and I imagine it’s simpler having to support a population one fifth the size of the US.
He’s not delusional (with regard to what he’s doing). He wins either way. The government crumbles, he gets to remake it in his image. He fails, he gets to claim he made the government more efficient, and the fact that it’s limping along is just the result of “necessary” pruning.
This is all theater. He doesn’t actually care about the outcome or the American people.
He’s not dellusional, he just don’t have a clue of whathe’s talking about and just throw around keywords and try to look smart.
As longas you’re not familiar with the subject it works well.
remember when he told programers to print some code they wrote previous weeks ? Or when he tried to impress people with his knowledge of PoE2 and Diablo 4 ? Qe has done the same for decades, at spacex and tesla as well.
It’s a known fact that SpaceX have an entire eam of full time people whose job is listening to elon bullshit and being the yesmen so he feels validated, then actual engineers take decisions.
IIRC there were the same with tesla and for some reason the system stopped working. And then, the cybertruck happened.
Functional, yes. But rarely are these sorts of things efficient. They’re covered in decades of cruft and workarounds.
Which just makes them that much harder to port to a different language. Especially by some 19 year old who goes by “Big Balls”
My company actually wrote their flagship software in COBOL starting in the 80s, and we’re only now six years into rewriting everything in a more modern language with probably four years to go.
I can’t imagine trying to start such a project like rewriting all of Social Security and thinking it will take months. You have to be a special kind of fatuous to unironically think that.
I was briefly employed at a firm that maintained the sales commission software for a large telecom firm.
It was 1.5 million lines of VB6, though VB8 was already three years old. Nobody knew all of it, so they couldn’t possibly rewrite it to handle all the edge cases and special incentives we kept having to add.
Except maybe the lone QA person, who would frequently begin sobbing at her desk. And we could all hear it because it was an open plan office and we weren’t allowed to wear headphones.
That job was so bad I quit and began freelancing.
Similarly, my company are 4 years into a rewrite of a cobol mainframe system much simpler than Social Security. Which was going to “take a year” there’s at least 5 years left.
I know the UK benefits system took well over 12 years to build with an programming workforce of over 2000 and I imagine it’s simpler having to support a population one fifth the size of the US.
The kind that thinks full self driving is two years away, perhaps?
AGI is definitely just around the corner! We just need to throw more money and the energy produced by half the country at it!
And work 60hrs a week!
He can’t be this delusional, right? It is almost like he is just trying to inflict damage?
He’s not delusional (with regard to what he’s doing). He wins either way. The government crumbles, he gets to remake it in his image. He fails, he gets to claim he made the government more efficient, and the fact that it’s limping along is just the result of “necessary” pruning.
This is all theater. He doesn’t actually care about the outcome or the American people.
He’s not dellusional, he just don’t have a clue of whathe’s talking about and just throw around keywords and try to look smart.
As longas you’re not familiar with the subject it works well.
remember when he told programers to print some code they wrote previous weeks ? Or when he tried to impress people with his knowledge of PoE2 and Diablo 4 ? Qe has done the same for decades, at spacex and tesla as well.
It’s a known fact that SpaceX have an entire eam of full time people whose job is listening to elon bullshit and being the yesmen so he feels validated, then actual engineers take decisions.
IIRC there were the same with tesla and for some reason the system stopped working. And then, the cybertruck happened.
I think his and Trump’s roles are to be saboteurs.
The kind that thinks all those edge cases don’t matter and if they don’t get payments it’s just another example of “waste, fraud, and abuse.”