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DOGE plans to rewrite Social Security codebase in months. Who cares if they fail? [1]

['Rob Beschizza']

Date: 2025-03-29

There's an old saying that goes something like this: if you don't know why the fence is there, don't take down the fence, no matter how decrepit the fence. Don't replace it, don't fix it, don't paint it, just wait and see what it fences. (Update: Chesterton's Fence) Coders love this saying because one of the most common failure modes in programming is "I was just trying to repair that old fence." The DOGE gang of youthful geeks, set loose on all branches of the government, is reportedly planning to completely rebuild the Social Security codebase in a few months. This old fence is made of COBOL and isn't it amazing that no-one has ever thought of updating it?

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. Under any circumstances, a migration of this size and scale would be a massive undertaking, experts tell WIRED, but the expedited deadline runs the risk of obstructing payments to the more than 65 million people in the US currently receiving Social Security benefits.

The problem that's harder to address in reportage is that for the people doing the work, destructive failure is an acceptable or even desirable alternative to success.

Previously:

• 'Be kind' desk sign deemed contraband by Musk's DOGE enforcers

• DOGE upending child safety and human trafficking programs

• Musk's DOGE boy reportedly screams at senior staffers trying to protect personal data: 'Idiots!'

• Vivek Ramaswamy out at 'DOGE'

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[1] Url: https://boingboing.net/2025/03/29/doge-plans-to-rewrite-social-security-codebase-in-months-who-cares-if-they-fail.html

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