August 26, 2011, 12:25 PM —
The most famous iOS hacker, and the brains behind the JailBreakMe.com website, has joined Apple as an intern. Known as Comex (real name Nicholas Allegra), the 19 year old announced via Twitter he was taking a position with Apple.
[Hackers gone mild: 6 rebels turned insiders and RankMyHack.com is more resume builder and prosecution aide than it is HotOrNot.com]
Details of employment remain unclear, so speculation about the "intern" status bloomed quickly. Not a full time employee? Not well paid? Of course, tech company internships for talented young programmers are often paid, and a way to become the employer of choice when the time comes. Nothing keeps Apple for showering young Comex with big bucks, or just free Apple gear. They can make any deal they want.
Apple fans and jailbreak fans made their feelings known. Sometimes the sentiment is jailbreaking pushes Apple to be better, sometimes the slant is jailbreakers should be put in jail. Join the fun.
Smart for Apple
I suppose Apple will pay him to repeatedly jailbreak IOS 5 so they can fix every hole he discovers. But brilliant kids are born every day and they will find new holes that he never spotted.
jd_in_sb on appleinsider.com
this explains why the updates have been coming a little slower in the jailbreaking community. i guess apple has realize the one true way to silence all those jailbreaking geniuses out there.
hewsthat on appleinsider.com
and apple just stopped [read: paid] jailbreak from happening on iphone5.
Spikesoldier on dailytech.com
If this guy is so good, and it looks like he is, hire him full time, or at least give him a contractor status with some decent salary. Anyway, I hope he gets paid well.
fleshconsumed on dailytech.com
Apple is buying patents and jailbreakers. No surprise. They probably call it only an "internship" because they don't want to tell the whole story ($...), and protect both Apple's and comex's reputation...
Toni on appdevice.com
He'll probably have to sign an NDA, and that'll effectively take him out of the jailbreaking game.
xder345 on appdevice.com
Good for the kid
Clever kid. The number of unique exploits made into a single user-friendly jailbreak is an astounding effort. I hope Apple puts him on Apple security and hope they are paying him.
solipsism on appleinsider.com
What is this? Apple is hiring iOS's most well known hacker after Samsung hired Android's most well known hacker? Hey maybe Samsung can sue Apple for doing something similar.
Staxx on slashgear.com
I smell a sellout
Yesterday's snarling revolutionary is today's smiling bourgeois capitalist.
rbryanh on appleinsider.com
Dude, don't sell out to these evil corporate assholes...you should stay open source. There's more to life than money! You clearly have the ability, why don't you create something great for the world to use? Instead of helping these people make MORE money.
