George 'geohot' Hotz: The iPhone Jailbreaker

George Hotz, known online as 'geohot,' became a household name in the tech world at the age of 17. In 2007, just months after the original iPhone was released, he became the first person to carrier-unlock it, freeing the device from its exclusive contract with AT&T. He traded his second unlocked iPhone for a Nissan 350Z and three new iPhones.

His next major exploit targeted the Sony PlayStation 3, a console famously marketed as 'unhackable.' In 2010, Hotz announced he had bypassed the console's security, publishing the exploit keys online. Sony responded with a lawsuit, accusing him of violating the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA). The case became a rallying cry for the hacker community and free-speech advocates. It was eventually settled out of court, but not before the hacktivist group Anonymous retaliated against Sony with a series of cyberattacks.

Since then, Hotz has worked briefly at major tech companies like Google and Twitter, founded his own AI startup (comma.ai) focused on self-driving car technology, and continues to be a prominent and sometimes controversial figure in the tech and security landscape.

Timeline

• 2007First to carrier-unlock the original iPhone.
• 2010Bypasses PlayStation 3 security; sued by Sony.