Whitehouse.gov HTML includes Easter egg for coders



Image: Protocol

Janko Roettgers

January 20, 2021

As Joe Biden delivered his address as the 46th president of the United States on Wednesday, the White House flipped the switch on a new Whitehouse.gov website with neat little Easter egg buried in its HTML code: "If you're reading this, we need your help building back better," reads a line of code marked as a comment. It's followed by a link to the website of the U.S. Digital Service, the White House's internal tech team.

The U.S. Digital Service, which is tasked with using technology to advance the goals of the new administration, is set to receive a major cash injection as part of President Biden's $1.9 trillion COVID relief package.

Janko Roettgers

Janko Roettgers (@jank0) is a senior reporter at Protocol, reporting on the shifting power dynamics between tech, media, and entertainment, including the impact of new technologies. Previously, Janko was Variety's first-ever technology writer in San Francisco, where he covered big tech and emerging technologies. He has reported for Gigaom, Frankfurter Rundschau, Berliner Zeitung, and ORF, among others. He has written three books on consumer cord-cutting and online music and co-edited an anthology on internet subcultures. He lives with his family in Oakland.