Facebook hires PS3 and iPhone ‘hacker’ George Hotz

Internet hacker George "GeoHot" Hotz, famed for hacking Sony's Playstation 3, has been hired to work for Facebook, PCmag.com reported Monday.

It was not revealed as to what project Hotz was working on at the Facebook headquarters, but it was rumored he was involved in developing the company's iPad application.

Hotz's new occupation was revealed when he backed out of an iPad 2 hacking challenge against a fellow hacker, PCmag.com's David Murphy reported.

The news was further confirmed with a quick look to Hotz's Facebook account, where he was listed as a software engineer working for Facebook.

It was not known whether Hotz's transfer to the corporate world would keep him from finding new exploits for Apple or other products.

Hotz became an important figure among Internet users interested in "unlocking" - the process of manipulating a device by an owner to by-pass its factory settings - after he successfully hacked Apple iPhones and iPhone Touches as well as Sony's Playstation 3.