DOGE got the idea that 40% of calls *to change direct deposit* information were fraud, musk misunderstood and/or misrepresented that to mean 40% of *all calls* were fraud, and because DOGE started from the false premise that SS fraud was widespread, no one questioned the outcomes - ThreadSky

golikehellmachine.com • 17 days ago

DOGE got the idea that 40% of calls *to change direct deposit* information were fraud, musk misunderstood and/or misrepresented that to mean 40% of *all calls* were fraud, and because DOGE started from the false premise that SS fraud was widespread, no one questioned the outcomes

Reposted from whet moser

why in god's name would you think *40 percent of the phone calls to social security centers were fraud.* i cannot begin to process the mind that would think tht

Comments

olliemcclellan.bsky.social•17 days ago

I wonder if one end result of this nonsense is that people will realize that, given the scope of the services it provides, the American federal government is actually remarkably efficient.

(It absolutely won't be.)

flashgordon.bsky.social•17 days ago

i've been with my mom a few times when she actually had to go to the social security office. the amount of shit you have to go through just to get what they legit owe you... i refuse to believe that scamming social security is something that more than a niche amount of people even attempt.

flashgordon.bsky.social•17 days ago

like, do people try it? for sure. it's a problem. but if you work at SSA, it's not fucking 40% of your traffic, and "changing direct pay" is a pretty obvious red flag.

golikehellmachine.com•17 days ago

people change their banks, on average, once every 17 years, and customers over 55 are significantly *less* likely to do so — if you think about the difference between 40% of direct deposit update calls and 40% of *all* calls, this is the kind of error that gets any normal person fired on the spot

bungalofidelity.bsky.social•16 days ago

Musk has set a world record for dumb pretending to be smart.

hlnorwich.bsky.social•16 days ago

Republicans seem incapable of matching the correct math formulas to descriptive labels or interpreting statistics. The GOP-endorsed elected Treasurer of one of the country’s wealthiest counties recently mailed this to every homeowner.

virginiam.bsky.social•17 days ago

They're applying the same fever-dream math that they do to "voter fraud."

morecontext.bsky.social•17 days ago

Well, they are too busy firing everyone who would know better...

job2025.bsky.social•17 days ago

And I’m getting ready to change banks. Dammit.

megan2wheels.bsky.social•17 days ago

it’s even worse: they had the statistic completely inverted https://bsky.app/profile/cptdoomdc.bsky.social/post/3lpae3p3mrs2b

calixtus.bsky.social•17 days ago

And their fix for that.... is to close offices?

golikehellmachine.com•17 days ago

i was going from somewhere else i read it, but i can believe that, too

tubapeter.bsky.social•17 days ago

Inverted, you say?

bljdlowry.bsky.social•17 days ago

Generally, 65 plus change their accounts because a spouse/partner has died.

dawnameeks.bsky.social•16 days ago

Yep

munson.land•17 days ago

Gee I’m dumb I’ve had the same bank for 30 years

inafume.bsky.social•17 days ago

I thought I opened my account when I was 18, but according to my bank I've been a loyal customer since I was 5.

golikehellmachine.com•17 days ago

virtually every bad decision DOGE have made thus far has been rooted in:
- incompetence with systems at this scale
- unacceptable tolerance for error with systems this critical
- contempt for experts in these systems
- unwillingness to course correct or roll back on failure

beckya.bsky.social•16 days ago

Not just DOGE, applies to pretty much everyone in this administration

zachrabiroff.com•17 days ago

I have no proof of this, but I strongly suspect that implicit and unquestioned faith in LLM answers is the reason why

mateohh.bsky.social•17 days ago

“unwillingness to course correct or roll back on failure”

unless it’s quietly removing entries from their wall of savings (eventually) after being exposed as bullshit

hamiltwan.bsky.social•17 days ago

That and they're just generally incompetent, if they had any useful skills they wouldn't have been available to be Elon's weird minions.

turgidjacobian.bsky.social•16 days ago

They're bad people, doing a full-spectrum botch-job.

nonplussed73.bsky.social•17 days ago

Number two being the key one. A change should be vetted based on the scale of what’s affected, with larger impacts requiring more due diligence.

emceehammerpants.bsky.social•16 days ago

This is just how a lot of “data-driven” dudes in tech work. They see the data and take it as fact. I’ve seen it too many times. They never ask if they’re measuring the right thing, or if they’re measuring it correctly, or if it matters. They invent a metric, measure it, and react.

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