The Rise and Fall of John McAfee: A History of Antivirus Protection

The world of antivirus protection has a long and storied history, and few figures loom larger in that history than John McAfee. In 1987, McAfee founded McAfee Associates, a company dedicated to developing software to protect computers from viruses and other malicious threats.

At the time, the idea of antivirus software was still relatively new, and McAfee’s company quickly gained a reputation as a leader in the field. In the years that followed, McAfee Associates continued to innovate and expand, releasing new products and acquiring smaller competitors.

However, as the company grew, so did the controversies surrounding its founder. John McAfee was known for his eccentric and sometimes erratic behavior, and he became just as well-known for his personal exploits as he was for his business successes.

In 2012, McAfee sold his stake in the company that bore his name and retreated to a life of seclusion in Belize. It was there that he found himself at the center of an international media frenzy, when he was named a person of interest in the murder of his neighbor.

Although he was eventually cleared of any wrongdoing, the incident marked the end of McAfee’s association with the antivirus industry. Today, the company he founded continues to thrive under new leadership, but John McAfee remains a controversial and divisive figure in the world of tech.