Elon Musk hires hacker prodigy George Hotz

He was the first person to jailbreak an iPhone at just 17, now one high-profile hacker and coder has been hand-picked as Musk’s white knight.

Elon Musk has hired a high-profile hacker and coder known as the first person to hack the iPhone as a teenager, to fix a troubled Twitter feature.

George Hotz has been given just 12 weeks to improve Twitter’s search function.

The whiz-kid boasts an impressive, albeit somewhat nefrarious resume. At just 17, he made massive waves in the tech world when in 2007, he became the first person to jailbreak an iPhone – considered near impossible at the time.

In 2010, he reverse-engineered the PlayStation 3, which eventually saw him sued by Sony.

In the years since, Hotz has also dabbled in exploiting the security networks of Android and other devices, later working stints at Facebook, Google, and a number of start-ups.

Since 2015, he has built vehicular automation technology based on machine learning algorithms with his start-up comma.ai.

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Super-hacker George Hotz has been put to task on Twitter’s search function. Picture: Reuters

Hotz confirmed on Twitter he has been working on Twitter’s search function since commencing an internship with the company last week.

He recently revealed revealed he’s been copping negative feedback for joining the company.

“I’m an intern trying to improve search. Whatever feelings you have about Twitter and Elon are not about me,” he tweeted on Wednesday.

Plenty have left Twitter since the Musk takeover – but one big-hitter in the tech world has signed on. Photo: Constanza Hevia

“I think it’s cool to get feedback. (I’m) Not trying to get ‘free work’, I just find this fun. Here to learn and improve things.

“I bet by next Monday. Someone is going to have 1000+ users on their Twitter search plug-in.”

Will Hotz be Musk’s white knight? Photo: Frederic J. Brown

Twitter has been mired in controversy since Musk’s $66 billion October takeover of the platform.

Mass firings and a subsequent wave of resignations have proved a central sore point for critics as Musk pushes for “extremely hardcore” work ethics from his new employees.

But it was that push from Musk that drew the interest of Hotz.

“This is the attitude that builds incredible things. Let all the people who don’t desire greatness leave,” Hotz tweeted in response.

Sure, let’s talk.

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 16, 2022

Not sure I have authority for this, but if amazing React coder/designer wants internship to help me fix search...or someone working @Twitter already

I want to type "from:" in the Search Twitter box and have it tokenize and autocomplete.

"from:" should not show me @TayFromCApic.twitter.com/PHuhHg2hMT

— George Hotz 🐀 (@realGeorgeHotz) November 23, 2022

that’s what Elon told me my job was, and I will try my hardest to do it. I have 12 weeks

also trying to get rid of that nondismissable login pop up after you scroll a little bit ugh these things ruin the Internet https://t.co/vZbSfEqlfW

— George Hotz 🐀 (@realGeorgeHotz) November 22, 2022

“I’ll put my money where my mouth is. I’m down for a 12-week internship at Twitter for cost of living in (San Francisco).

“It’s not about accumulating capital in a dead world, it’s about making the world alive.”

Musk responded, “sure, let’s talk” – and here we are.

While Hotz has been extended the olive branch of temporary employment, observers estimate the number of Twitter employees has dropped from 3700 in October to about 2500 as of November 21.