Fileion Daily

Fileion Daily is a dynamic Tech News community within Fileio...

Joined December 2024

Published by

Asif Mohammad Sovon

Meet Asif Mohammad Sovon, an IT Assistant in the Bangladesh Air Force and a tech writer for Fileion....

Joined February 2025

3 min read

•

Feb 17, 2025

0 247

COBOL vs. DOGE: Why Musk’s Tech Team Is Struggling with Old Code

Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) is facing an unexpected challenge in its mission to modernize U.S. government technology. The challenge is related to the COBOL programming language. As Musk’s young tech engineers attempt to overhaul outdated systems, they’ve faced obstacles upon decades-old COBOL-based infrastructure.

The COBOL Puzzle

COBOL (Common Business-Oriented Language), first developed in the 1950s, remains the backbone of many U.S. government agencies, including Social Security, Medicare, and tax processing systems. COBOL is known for its reliability in handling large-scale financial transactions and batch processing.

Musk’s team, who are familiar with modern programming languages and cloud-based technologies, underestimated the complexity of working with COBOL. However, recent reports indicate that DOGE engineers, many of whom have never encountered COBOL, attempted to analyze government databases and were puzzled by data-related anomalies.

The 150-Year-Old Error

This issue is regarding the existence of "150-year-old" Social Security beneficiaries in government records. While Musk initially suggested this was evidence of fraud, further investigation shows that Social Security systems use a COBOL-based calendar that references May 20, 1875, as a default baseline. So when a birthdate is missing from the database, the system assigns this date, making individuals appear to be 150 years old.

This misunderstanding highlights the risk of inexperienced programmers transforming COBOL systems without fully learning their difficulties. A misstep in modifying legacy code could lead to widespread payment errors, system crashes, and service disruptions for millions of Americans.

The Risks of Modernization

Modernizing COBOL systems is a tough task. Though Silicon Valley’s motto is "move fast and break things", But in this scenario, the government IT systems demand meticulous testing, extensive documentation, and regulatory compliance. Experts warn that suddenly replacing COBOL with modern alternatives could lead to catastrophic failures.

"COBOL systems are incredibly stable but also incredibly fragile if mishandled.

If you introduce a change that conflicts with existing policies, the entire system could fail."

-says a government IT modernization consultant.

A Need for COBOL Expertise

The problem takes a new turn due to the decreasing number of COBOL programmers. Many experts who maintain these systems are nearing retirement or already retired. Moreover, COBOL has largely disappeared from university curriculums. Government agencies and private firms have resorted to offering lucrative contracts to retired programmers to keep systems running.

Meanwhile, DOGE engineers require learning & practice. While Musk’s team aims to bring AI-driven efficiencies to government tech, they may first need to master COBOL’s fundamental syntax to avoid causing more problems than they solve.

What’s Next?

With DOGE operatives pushing deeper into government agencies, concerns about their technical expertise and decision-making grow. While modernization is necessary, experts caution against boundless overhauls.

"We can’t just replace COBOL overnight. We need a strategic approach that involves both modern engineers and veteran COBOL developers to ensure government systems remain stable while transitioning to newer technologies."

-says a government IT modernization consultant.

Elon Musk, chief executive officer of Tesla Inc., left, and US President Donald Trump in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC, US, on Tuesday, Feb. 11, 2025.

As Musk’s team continues its task, the COBOL problem serves as a stark reminder that in the world of government IT, old code never truly dies—it just waits for the next generation to figure it out.

Comments 0

No Comments Posted

Indiana Jones and the Great Circle: PS5 Release Date, Editions, and Gameplay

The much-awaited game Indiana Jones and the Great Circle was first launched on Xbox Series X/S and PC on December 9, 2024. Since then, PS5 users have been eagerly waiting, and according to recent repo...

Fileion Daily

Fileion Daily is a dynamic Tech News community within Fileio...

Joined December 2024

Published by

Asif Mohammad Sovon

Meet Asif Mohammad Sovon, an IT Assistant in the Bangladesh Air Force and a tech writer for Fileion....

Joined February 2025

2 min read

•

Mar 31, 2025

IBM Job Cuts: Report Claims Number in Thousands Per Estimates

IBM is reportedly planning to lay off approximately 9,000 employees across multiple locations in the United States as part of a corporate restructuring initiative. The affected positions are expected...