From what I recall, he didn't like the aesthetics of the license plate (to which I can't really blame him).

It's also because CA DMV is a bit of a shit show - buy a car and you won't have plates for MONTHS, so seeing cars with no plates (at least in the Bay area) is super normal.

As an ex-NYer (where such things are strictly forbidden, heh) it was a bit jarring to not have a plate for 3-5 months.

Since when does hacking necessarily involve benefit? It's a clever exploit, getting by without license plates, and I can imagine how that might be satisfying on its own, for purely aesthetic reasons; it doesn't need to be practical.

By your definition, wearing a wig and sunglasses to get away with shoplifting is a "clever exploit." Refusing to put license plates on your car so you cannot be identified for breaking the law is antisocial criminal activity.

"Clever" is a matter of opinion; it's hard for me to imagine what aspect of a wig-and-sunglasses stunt there could be which would make it seem clever, but I suppose it's possible.

Perhaps Jobs' strategy for avoiding license plates was "antisocial criminal activity" and perhaps it wasn't; I'm not a lawyer, and I don't really care - but what does that have to do with the question of whether or not it was a hack?

"Refusing to put license plates on your car... is antisocial criminal activity." - cdcfa78156ae5

Of course there's no name.

> Of course there's no name.

That's because this is an Internet post, not a car that can be used to maim and kill people.

Thanks. That didn't cost a new car; you missed the point.

Not having license plates on your car can in and of itself be a benefit, if one doesn't want license plates on one's car. AIUI that was the benefit Jobs was looking for.

Parking tickets. He mentions it in an interview. He parked like the proverbial asshole and avoided the fines this way.