Steve Jobs Barcode License Plate Mystery Solved

Within a few hours after posting a photo of Steve Jobs' Mercedes spotted outside the Yerba Buena Center, (above) the location of Apple's 'Let's Rock' event on Tuesday, comments and controversy began to emerge along with a flood of email inquiries.

The controversy and questions surrounded the supposed UPC barcode pictured on Jobs' Mercedes SL55 AMG in lieu of of an official California license plate. We discovered wild rumors have dated back several years spawning constant speculation over Jobs' barcode license plate. The most absurd rumor alleges that Jobs paid California DMV a lot of money for a special exemption that allows him to have a UPC barcode instead of a real license plate. A lame idea invented by the village idiot.

Another popular wedge of white trash folklore asserts that Steve Jobs uses a bar code instead of a license plate to expedite the billing of his numerous parking tickets. This also turned out to be false. Our own hack investigation into this looming Jobsian mystery has revealed a few facts that force the rumors into a long dirt nap. Short of a direct quote from Steve Jobs himself, here's exactly what we've uncovered.

The supposed Steve Jobs barcode in place of a license plate is actually the vehicles VIN number placed on the car by the manufacturer (above). When we randomly removed the license plate from a parked Mercedes E320 Wagon, a similar VIN sticker was found underneath (left). It appears that Steve Jobs may be choosing to not display his license plate for reasons unknown, not because he's exempt. California Highway Patrol confirmed by phone that no exemptions for omitting a license plate are given to anyone under California law.

The fine for violating CA Vehicle Code 5200 for lacking the proper license plates can run in the range of $250. The code clearly states; (a) When two license plates are issued by the department for use upon a vehicle, they shall be attached to the vehicle for which they were issued, one in the front and the other in the rear. Section (b) states that if only one plate is issued it should be attached to the rear of the vehicle. Not the case for Jobs.

Another geeky piece to this strange puzzle comes by way of the film "Back To The Future" that featured a bar code license plate on the famed DeLorean time machine. "Barcode license plates were in use by 2015 as a means of identifying cars. It is assumed that they could reveal much more information once scanned than a standard license plate". According to Futurepedia, a Back to the Future Wiki. Could this be the source of the rumored barcode license plate that was eventually attached to Apple's CEO?

It's become painfully obvious that anyone can drive like Steve Jobs if they have an open checkbook, ready and willing to pay the fines to the California courts. I suggest continuing to obey the law if you can't afford to fight it. If you have any unique license plate info about El Jobso that we have not posted, chime in with your comments and let the speculation continue. Consider this mystery solved... for the moment.

below photo by Mathieu Thouvenin    Mercedes E320 photo by Fast Cars



Yerba Buena Photo by Kitetoa      VIN Number Close-up by roachtt3

 

Jobs allegedly Handicap parking at One Infinite Loop  [photo by Rana Sobhany]
 

Comments

[eddie]

In one of the last pictures....
is he parked in a handicap space?

[AlyRox]

Chasing down the iPod Man photo appears to be Jobs on the freeway, the license plate frame is off. Photo from 2005.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/osakasteve/7274131/sizes/o/

[Aristan]

I know there are plenty of pictures of him parked without his license plate, but does anyone have pics of him driving without it? I know for awhile, the pictures of his house on Google Streetview showed his car in the driveway with the plates attached, so obviously he has plates. (The current streetview shows his car parked on the street and it's hard to tell if the plate is attached.)

I'm willing to bet that Ol' Steve has magnets on the back of his plates & he yanks them off the car when he gets out. Could be for safety reasons (no one can steal his plates) or for his own safety because he tends to park where he shouldn't. Or it could just be that plates upset his design aesthetic. I mean, the car looks so much better without those ugly plates on them.

And yes, Jobs parks in Handicap spaces. He has for a long time. There's even an article about it over at Folklore.org:

"As Steve [Jobs] walked brusquely past him, Jean-Louis [Gassee] was heard to declare, to no one in particular - "Oh, I never realized that those spaces were for the emotionally handicapped...". "

[Jiff Jones]

Yawn, must be nice having endless loads of cash. With money you can do whatever you want.

Jiff
www.crypted.de.tc

[Ed]

If Steve did want a license plate on his car it would probably be one like this which cost more than his car

http://platesusa.com/14mplate.htm

But it would get stolen in a nanosecond

[barney]

a mental handycap unable to attach a simple licence plate...

[AlyRox]

Is it possible that silver is the new white? Jobs always knows what's cool before everyone else does. Like there's no white 4G iPod nano, but there is silver. Hmmmm.

[Monkey Boy]

I also know for a fact - that it is because:

a. His plate was getting stolen all the time.
b. The DMV allows him this privilege because he basically was responsible for a lot of Silicon Valley.
c. This I don't know for sure but he told me that he is the only one who has no plate in the Bay Area.

[Riley Mas]

@modtv1337: The bar code mystery was solved. Every new Mercedes has one in that spot, it is the VIN number. You wasted your own time by failing to actually read, then taking the time to complain.

[Richard]

You do know that VIN stands for Vehicle Identification Number, correct? No need to say number then after VIN. Unless of course you use your PIN number to get cash from the ATM machine whilst getting cash to hide from an FBI investigation.

[Bobert]

Steve Jobs DOES have special license privileges.

And he's caught on video bragging about it!

http://tinyurl.com/2q9j9y

Unbelievable...

[JanSolo]

Fixed link to Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rebecca_Schaeffer

[JanSolo]

There is actually one other rumor that was pervasive when I was working at Apple back in 2002. It was that actress Rebecca Schaeffer was murdered by a stalker who basically found out her address via her license plate (read about it here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rebecca_Schaeffer). So in order to protect citizens, a new bill was set forth called the Driver's Privacy Protection Act and theoretically certain celebs or high profile people were allowed to run without license plates. That's what the rumor was at Apple was at least (just to add one more to list).

[Free Apple Gear]

Great article. That's really good information.

[Andrew]

Maybe he has plates with magnets on them and takes them off when he gets to wherever he's going for whatever reason. Many dealers have plates with magnets on them to quickly put onto a car for a test drive; nobody says they have to be bolted on (as far as I know).

[JaceAce]

This is a standard thing for many cars now. My new BMW came with the same barcode where the rear plate would go. My previous car didn't have it. I'm sure it's just a new thing the car manufacturers are doing or maybe an obscure new CA law so the parking enforcement don't have to read the VIN on your dashboard.

I don't use the front plates either. The only people that seem to enforce the law on this is the parking enforcement. I've been in CA for 18 years now and never had a front plate. I've gotten about 2 tickets a year for between $25 (San Francisco) & $75 (Beverly Hills). So all in all for $100 a year, it's worth my car looking better from the front. LOL.

[Joe]

Steve disappointed me with that Mercedes. I thought he drove something cooler and less popular, like a Saab or an Audi or something...

[kc]

VIN Number is redundant.

[Ding Dong]

sure, he can drive drunk too.

[Matt]

I'd care if I had to stop and wait 10 minutes to receive each ticket.

[owlmonkey]

no idea if he has some agreement with the cops, but as long as he's been back at apple his car hasn't had plates - in my personal experience.

and if you were worth a billion dollars, i'd bed the occasional $250 fine wouldn't bother you even if you did get them occasionally. think about it, compared to your average family income / worth, that's equivalent to something like a $0.02 or $0.25 fine. would you care if the fine was less than a 25 cents?

[unknown]

I heard from a person that knows another person who heard it from someone that overheard someone that once saw steve jobs at a keynote that his license plates have magnets that makes it easy for him to remove them when he parks so that people don't steal them.

[Ruggy]

SJ has special plates which are visible only to pigs.

[Tom]

Merecedes. Poor taste Steve.

[Hugh Jaas]

He can also drive through red light cameras and not get caught.

[modtv1337]

wow way to not explain why he has no license plate instead waist my time with restating a well known and widely used law ......... title clearly states bar code mystery SOLVED

[MonkeyBucket]

Under California law, a car without license plates displayed, if parked on a public street can be towed and impounded. I'll have to check for the proper CVC citation, but we did this to our neighbors that wouldn't put plates on their cars.

[Michael]

More than likely, Steve got a manufacturer's statement of origin for his Mercedes -- and therefore holds an allodial title ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allodial_title ). The certificate of title you normally get with a new car does not grant you unencumbered ownership, I'm afraid...

If you hold allodial title, you don't have to register your car.

The rest of us have to register our cars because we don't actually own them outright. Interesting note: the only state in the union that supports allodial title for land is Texas.

[Mark]

Palo Alto, CA WILL write you a parking ticket if you don't display the front plate. About a $50 fine. I leave mine on the dash board now.

[youknowwho]

Hi, I'd like to solve this mystery for you. Mr. Jobs removes (or has removed, depending on the situation) his license plate from any car that is in his name that is parked in a public place. Privacy and security for himself and his family is what is on his mind.

[iZod]

I can totally buy into Steve being the rebel. That fits into my vision of his majesty. Count me in!

[sgh]

Maybe he's a CHP 11-99 Foundation member, those guys get carte blanche on the California streets.

http://zo-d.com/stuff/automotive/1199-foundation-license-plate-frame-culture-of-corruption.html

[Some Guy]

Plates aren't required in California. When you buy a new car here, you can drive around with a dealer advertisement in the license plate frame for as long as you like, as long as you have either your temporary registration or the permanent registration on you to show to the officer.

SJ keeps his plates in the trunk because souvenir hunters will steal them otherwise. If he gets pulled over, he just shows the officer his reg like anyone else.

[Steve-o]

It's been known for years that Steve Jobs does not use a plate on any of his car(s). It is his Rebel nature summed up in the poem apple liked to use back in the day. The barcode is standard fair for any Merc behind the plate.

[iolamis]

When you buy a new car they usually put a neon dealer advertisement in place of the license plate, to indicate that there is a temporary permit, plates on the way. But that neon dealer advert is tacky and has no legal value; driving without it should be just as legal while waiting for new plates.

[Carlo]

CVC 5200 states everyone must display plates confirmed by California Highway Patrol (800) 835- 5247 which I called myself. I spoke with two officers and they confirmed, NO ONE is exempt because they are somehow a SPECIAL citizen. Rumors are a painful thing to let go of. I want to believe that Steve is ex-special and somehow above the law.

[Richard]

"That is why Steve and DMV have agreed that he no longer needs to have one on his vehicle. Why bother when it keeps getting stolen?
Yes, this is a fact. I know for sure."

Uh huh? Good one dan. Nice - I believe you because you say 'I know for sure'.

[MAral]

I wouldent be suprised it its a flip down plate. slides down into the spot.

[Denny]

I heard people kept stealing his license plate, so the State allows him to not have one now. Maybe one of your sleuths out there could find out.

[Steve]

"so why besmirch a beautiful car with an ugly license plate."

That dealer plate frame looks so much sweeter.

[Scott]

I think it's hilarious that he has no plate, yet has a plate frame on the care.

[David Clayton]

I can tell you that barcode is present on all new mercedes bought, It's for shipping and tracking of the cars, it is in no way a license plate. Job's has previously stated that it is "a game he plays" with the authorities.

[Dan]

He no longer uses plates for his car because everytime he gets one, it is stolen off of his car. That is why Steve and DMV have agreed that he no longer needs to have one on his vehicle. Why bother when it keeps getting stolen?
Yes, this is a fact. I know for sure.

[iPhone Savior]

Nice Bill! That would be so James Bond 007 and would totaly fit the Steve Jobs mystique perfectly.

[Bill Martin]

When he turns the key on, and puts the car in gear, does the plate descend from it's hidden place in the slot above the plate holder??

[Greg]

Don't new cars in CA get temp permits that are stuck on the windshield while waiting for the plates to arrive in the mail? I hear it can take up to several months to get the plates these days. Perhaps he just purchased it and is waiting for the plates to arrive. Did you check to see if there is a permit in the windshield?

[Constable Odo]

I don't care about the lack of plates, but I'm happy to know what type of car Steve drives. Very nice. Too bad it's not a McClaren SLR. Then he could say he drives a M(a)c.

[iPhone Savior]

Good point Peter. I was a CA resident for 22 years and know that it's always up to the cops to make the call. I was just pulled over in Seattle for speeding and then tagged additionally for no front plate for an extra $250 fine. Pwned! 'I'm in ur wallet stealing ur money'

[Peter]

Here in California, lots of people don't obey the law when it comes to license plates. The police, generally, don't care but it gives them a built-in excuse to pull you over for whatever reason.

For example, I don't have a front license plate on my car because I think it looks better without one (it's designed for the european license plate, so you have to use an ugly holder for the American one). I've been pulled over by the police once or twice and they've never even remarked on it. They just give me my speeding ticket and move on...

So I think the lack of license plate is just Steve being Steve. He's got the money to pay the ticket, in case somebody pulls him over, so why besmirch a beautiful car with an ugly license plate.