George Hotz
Unlocked the first iPhone at 17 and traded it for a sports car; Sony sued him at 21.
George Hotz was born in 1989 in Glen Rock, New Jersey, US. George Hotz's background is described as White American. Growing up, the family was middle class — a suburban New Jersey household; he was a repeat Intel science-fair finalist in high school. Unlocked the first iPhone at 17 and traded it for a sports car; Sony sued him at 21.
- Born
- 1989 · Glen Rock, New Jersey, US
- Roots
- White American
- Family
- Middle class
- A suburban New Jersey household; he was a repeat Intel science-fair finalist in high school.
- Education
- Bergen County Academies; brief stints at RIT and Carnegie Mellon
- Started with
- A soldering iron
- Spent the summer of 2007, at 17, reverse-engineering the iPhone's baseband at his workbench.
- Affiliations & societies
- None documented.
- Information only — claims like these are often unverifiable and may be wrong.
The pathway
- 2007 · age 17First iPhone unlock1 × 350Z
The first reported SIM unlock; he trades an unlocked phone for a Nissan 350Z and three more iPhones.
- 2010 · age 20PS3 jailbreak
Publishes PlayStation 3 exploit work under the handle geohot.
- 2011 · age 21Sony v. Hotz
Sony seeks a restraining order; the case settles with his agreement never to target Sony products again.
- 2014 · age 24Corporate interludes
Facebook, then Google's Project Zero vulnerability research.
- 2015 · age 26comma.ai
Builds a self-driving kit in his garage; after a regulator's letter, he cancels the hardware and open-sources the software instead.
- 2023 · age 33tiny corp
A neural-network framework startup; he leaves comma's day-to-day in 2025.
Frequently asked questions
Where is George Hotz from?
George Hotz was born in 1989 in Glen Rock, New Jersey, US. Their background is described as White American.
When was George Hotz born?
George Hotz was born in 1989, in Glen Rock, New Jersey, US.
What is George Hotz's background or ethnicity?
George Hotz's roots are described as White American. These are broad categories drawn from public sources, not statements about how the person identifies.
Where did George Hotz go to school?
George Hotz's education: Bergen County Academies; brief stints at RIT and Carnegie Mellon.
What was George Hotz's family background growing up?
At birth the family was middle class. A suburban New Jersey household; he was a repeat Intel science-fair finalist in high school.
How did George Hotz get started?
George Hotz started with a soldering iron. Spent the summer of 2007, at 17, reverse-engineering the iPhone's baseband at his workbench.
Sources
Compiled from these references and contemporaneous press reporting. Figures are approximate; verify before relying on them.