The Criminal That Lives in Your Computer

22 Aug 2024 (25 days ago)

McAfee's Early Career and Success

John McAfee began his career with jobs at companies including Lockheed, NASA, and Xerox. (00:00:26)
McAfee became aware of Brain, the first computer virus, which was created by two brothers in Pakistan who were selling pirated software.
McAfee founded a company and created VirusScan, an antivirus software, after becoming concerned about the potential impact of computer viruses.
In 1992, McAfee went public with an estimated worth of $220 million, making John McAfee a millionaire. John McAfee left the company in 1993 as an employee and as a board member in 1995.
John McAfee created the internet messaging platform PowWow and later sold it to CMGI for $17 million.

During the 2008 financial crisis John McAfee lost a large portion of his wealth and was reported to be worth close to $4 million. (00:10:21)
John McAfee, after facing financial troubles, relocated to Ambergris Caye in Belize, where he invested in properties, allegedly bribed local police, and established a company called Quorum X for research on healing herbs.
In 2012, McAfee's property in Orange Walk was raided by the Gang Suppression Unit (GSU) for suspected drug manufacturing, but the substances found did not lead to criminal charges. (00:12:17)
Following the raid, McAfee moved to La Bonita, hired armed guards, and was later considered a person of interest in the death of his neighbor, Gregory Faull, after which he fled Belize.