Dec 12, 2022
Comma AI founder George Hotz is stepping down from the company
Posted by Kelvin Dafiaghor in categories: Elon Musk, mobile phones, robotics/AI
George Hotz, the 32-year-old CEO of Comma AI who made a name for himself as the hacker “geohot” when he was just a teenager, announced that he is stepping away from his company on his GitHub page. According to Hotz, he no longer feels “capable” to continue leading the driver-assist technology company he created seven years ago.
Hotz has had a long history in the tech industry despite his young age. He gained notoriety in hacker communities at the age of 17 after becoming the first person to carrier unlock the iPhone. He also bumped heads with Sony a few years later for hacking the PlayStation 3.
Hotz also got into a disagreement with Elon Musk in 2015 after Musk allegedly wanted to hire him because he thought he could improve Tesla’s Autopilot software. Hotz later founded Comma AI, which focused itself on driver-assist technologies. In true hacker fashion, Hotz’s autonomous driving code, “openpilot,” was posted online for free.