DOGE Has Sights Set on US Computer Systems. Oh Boy: Dave Lee

Elon Musk’s so-called Department of Government Efficiency has set its sight on one of the most enduring technologies: The Common Business Oriented Language, better known as COBOL.

First developed in the 1950s and ‘60s, the coding language still underpins some of the American government’s most critical systems, including at the Social Security Administration, Internal Revenue Service, Office of Personnel Management and several more. It’s also behind critical private infrastructure, such as banking and air travel. It’s survived not because it’s remarkably good at what we need it to do but also because replacing it with something more contemporary has proven extremely complex and expensive.

COBOL is an American engineering ...