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.
65 million people in the US currently receive Social Security benefits. They're considering Java as a replacement.
The project is being organized by Elon Musk lieutenant Steve Davis, multiple sources who were not given permission to talk to the media tell WIRED, and aims to migrate all SSA systems off COBOL, one of the first common business-oriented programming languages, and onto a more modern replacement like Java within a scheduled tight timeframe of a few months.
---
SSA’s core “logic” is also written largely in COBOL. This is the code that issues social security numbers, manages payments, and even calculates the total amount beneficiaries should receive for different services, a former senior SSA technologist who worked in the office of the chief information officer says. Even minor changes could result in cascading failures across programs.
For a second they seemed like they wanted to be bratty sub opposition but now they're just squarely set to be whiny voyeurs.
I'm imagining a scene in a small DC rock/punk club.
"Hey, everybody! We're all Democratic party aides... But don't hold that against us. Haha. In all seriousness this is our very first gig. Please be kind. We are Bratty Sub Opposition..."