US State Department Appoints 19-Year-Old 'Musk Kid' as Senior IT Advisor

Concerns Raised Over Possible Unauthorized Access to Classified Information on Overseas Activities

Edward Koristin, a 19-year-old who briefly interned at Neuralink, the neurotechnology startup led by Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla, has been appointed as a senior advisor for information technology (IT) at the U.S. Department of State, raising concerns within the government, the Washington Post (WP) reported on the 10th (local time).

Edward Koristin, appointed as Senior Advisor for Information Technology (IT) at the U.S. Department of State under the Donald Trump administration. Photo capture of a post on X (formerly Twitter)

Koristin, who is also affiliated with the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) and the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) led by Musk, was recently appointed as a senior advisor to the State Department's Bureau of Diplomatic Security but has been criticized for lacking relevant experience.

Furthermore, the Bureau of Diplomatic Security is known as a "treasure trove of information," including sensitive data, but Koristin was previously fired from an internship after leaking information from a data security company.

Earlier, Bloomberg News reported on the 8th that Koristin was dismissed from his internship at Pass Network after leaking internal information to a competitor, citing internal company documents.

A U.S. government official expressed concern to the Washington Post about Koristin's appointment as a senior advisor, saying, "This is dangerous." This official and other government personnel worried that Koristin could gain unauthorized access to classified materials in this position and obtain information about other countries and overseas activities.

In addition to Koristin, the State Department's Bureau of Diplomatic Security also employs 23-year-old Luke Paritter, according to WP. Paritter is also a former intern at Musk's space company SpaceX.

According to WP and other U.S. media, DOGE, led by Musk, reportedly includes six so-called "DOGE kids" under the age of 25, including Koristin and Paritter.

Although they lack government-related experience, they are known to play key roles in DOGE's activities, such as the closure of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), which is justified under the premise of improving government spending efficiency.