John Mcafee: What happened to the antivirus software pioneer?
Technology entrepreneur John McAfee lost his life after committing suicide on 23rd June 2021. The renowned guru was the world's largest antivirus company designer and made tons of money through this idea and other business ventures.
Source: Getty Images
John was a well-established British-American entrepreneur. He worked in several computer and technology firms before founding McAfee Associates. He showcased great expertise in all his ventures that even after his death, people can't stop questioning what happened to the antivirus software pioneer.
Who is John McAfee?
He was a British-American computer programmer, businessman, and two-time presidential candidate. He sought to become the president of the United States in 2016 and 2020 through the Libertarian Party. The programmer was born on 18th September 1945 in Cinderford in the Forest of Dean, Gloucestershire, United Kingdom.
He was born to an American father, Don McAfee, who was stationed there and a British mother, Joan Williams. His father was from Roanoke, but the programmer was primarily brought up in Salem, Virginia, in the United States. When he was 15 years old, his father committed suicide using a gun.
After his elementary and high school studies, he joined Roanoke College in Virginia, where he received a Bachelor's Degree in Mathematics in 1967. Later, he earned an honorary Doctor of Science degree in 2008 from the same institute.
After earning his bachelor's degree, John enrolled at the Northeast Louisiana State College to pursue a Doctorate in Mathematics. Unfortunately, he was expelled for being in a relationship with an undergraduate who eventually became his first wife.
John McAfee's wife and children
The successful businessman married three times in his life. He met his first wife in 1968 while pursuing a doctorate at the Northeast Louisiana State College. She was an undergraduate student at the time of their meeting.
Later, he married his second wife, Judy, a former flight attendant at American Airlines, in 1987. However, the duo divorced in 2002. John married the third time in 2013. He met his third wife (Janice) the night after his deportation from Guatemala in December 2012.
Who are John McAfee's children? The programmer once stated that he had 47 children, 61 grandchildren, and 19 great-grandchildren. However, there are no further details known about any of these children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren.
What is John McAfee known for?
He is famous for his successful career in computer programming and as a businessman. John started working as an employee for NASA's Institute for Space Studies in New York City. He served as a programmer on the Apollo program from 1968 to 1970.
After that, he started working as a software designer at Univac before moving to Xerox, where he worked as an operating system architect. In 1978, he joined Computer Sciences Corporation as a software consultant. Between 1980 and 1982, he worked for Booz Allen Hamilton consulting firm. In the 1980s, he started developing software to combat viruses.
In 1987, he founded an anti-computer virus company known as the McAfee Associations. It was incorporated in Delaware in 1992. Two years later, he went public and sold his remaining stake in the company. In August 2010, Intel acquired McAfee.
He also worked in the following:
- He founded Tribal Voice which later developed the first-ever instant messaging program known as Pow Wow.
- 2000 - He joined the board of directors of Zone Labs.
- February 2010 - He started QuorunEx company (anti-biotic producers).
- 2013 - He began Future Tense Central Company to offer a secure computer network device known as D-Central.
- January 2016 - He became the chief evangelist for security startup Everykey.
- February 2016 - He publicly volunteered to decrypt the iPhone used by San Bernardino shooters.
- May 2016 - He was appointed as the chief executive chairman and CEO of a technology holding company known as MGT Capital Investments.
- He moved MGT Capital Investments into the mining of bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies.
- 23rd August 2018 - He became the CEO of Luxcore company, focusing on enterprise solutions.
John was a libertarian who advocated for the decriminalization of cannabis. He also advocated for an end to the war on drugs, non-interventionism in foreign policies and a free-market economy.
On 8th September 2015, he announced his interest in seeking president of the United States office in the 2016 presidential election through the Cyber Party. In the primaries, he was the runners-up, but he came in third place at the 2016 Libertarian National Convention.
On 3rd June 2018, he announced through John McAfee's Twitter account that he would be running for president again in the 2020 elections. John McAfee's cryptocurrency promotion was his main campaign issue.
Media and books
Source: Getty Images
Gringo: The Dangerous Life of John McAfee is a documentary by Showtime Networks narrating John's life in Belize. John McAfee documentary started airing in September 2016. Some of the stories covered in the documentary include the following allegations:
- Rap*ng his former business partner, Allison Adonizio
- Murdering Belizean David Middleton
- Murdering American ex-pat Gregory Faull
The programmer has published several books throughout his life. Some of them include:
- 1989 - Computer Viruses, Worms, Data Diddlers, Killer Programs, and Other Threats to Your System. What They Are, How They Work, and how to Defend Your PC, Mac, Or Mainframe
- 2001 - The Secret of the Yamas: Spiritual Guide to Yoga
- 2001 - The Fabric of Self: Meditations on Vanity and Love
- 2001 - Into the Heart of Truth
- 2001 - Beyond the Siddhis. Supernatural Powers and the Sutras of Patanjali
What happened to John McAfee?
He was faced with several legal issues ranging from the death of Gregory Faull to U.S. tax evasion charges and planned extradition. Here are the highlights:
- 2008 - He was named defendant in a civil court case relating his Aerotrekking light-sport aircraft venture and the death of nephew Joel Bitow and a passenger.
- 30th April 2012 - The Gang Suppression Unit of the Belize Police Department raided his property in Orange Walk Town.
- He was arrested for unlicensed drug manufacturing and possession of unlicensed weapons.
- 2nd August 2015 - He was arrested in Henderson County, Tennessee, for driving under the influence and possession of a firearm while intoxicated.
- July 2019 - He was arrested on his docked yacht at Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic, for suspicions of possessing high-calibre weapons and ammunition.
- 5th December 2012 - He was arrested entering Guatemala illegally.
- 12th December 2012 - He was released from detention and deported to the United States.
- 5th October 2020 - The U.S. Department of Justice for tax evasion requested his arrest in Spain.
- 6th October 2020 - The United States Securities and Exchange Commission filed a complaint alleging that he had fraudulently promoted certain ICOs.
- 5th March 2021 - The U.S. Attorney's office for the Southern District of New York announced they had formerly indicted him for allegedly fraudulently promoting specific cryptocurrencies and performing pump and dump schemes.
- 23rd June 2021 - The Spanish National Court authorized his extradition to the United States for criminal charges in Tennessee.
Where is John McAfee now? He is dead. After Spain's highest court approved his extradition to the United States, he was found dead in jail. He died at the age of 75 after reportedly committing suicide.
How much is John McAfee worth?
John McAfee's net worth was estimated to be around $4 million at the time of his death. His worth was once estimated to be $100 million, but he lost much of it due to bad investments and the 2008 global recession.
He also made a series of bad investments, which included a colossal bet on Lehman Brothers' bond. This cost him millions of dollars, forcing him to sell real estate and other assets for pennies on the dollar. For instance, he sold a Colorado estate valued at $25 million at just $5.7 million. He also disposed of a mansion in Hawaii, a ranch in New Mexico and a Cessna private jet.
John McAfee is among the few individuals who have delighted in great victories and downfalls in almost equal measures. But, unfortunately, the disappointments were so severe that he lost his total asset from $100 million to around $6 million.
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