George Hotz, whom Sony sued for hacking the PlayStation 3, has reportedly been hired by Facebook. (ROBERT GALBRAITH - REUTERS) Facebook has hired George Hotz, the company confirmed late Monday.

The news was initially reported by TechUnwrapped and backed up by Techmeme’s Gabe Rivera.

Hotz, famous for his hacks of the iPhone and the PlayStation 3, settled with Sony in April after the company sued him for cracking the console and distributing code to let others run their own software on the device.

His trial led to hacktivist group Anonymous’s first denial of service attacks on Sony and its PlayStation Network, which predated the April data breach that landed the entertainment company in the doghouse for months.

Hotz, or GeoHot, as he is also known, is believed to be working on Facebook’s anticipated iPad app.

Rivera noted that Hotz’s Facebook profile now lists the company as one of his networks and said Hotz’s Facebook page includes a post that says the company is “really an amazing place to work.”

It’s not the first time someone has followed this path. Prominent hackers have gone on to positions in tech companies, including Jeff Moss, who was hired as ICANN’s security chief in April. The logic is, of course, that no one can protect against security exploits better than someone who specializes in looking for security holes to exploit.

Related stories:

Sony settles with PS3 hacker

Apple iPad Facebook app on its way?

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