McAfee

In 1987, John McAfee founded McAfee Associates. The company was born out of the emerging threat of personal computer viruses. McAfee created one of the first antivirus software products, a program named VirusScan, and pioneered the shareware distribution model. Users could try the software for free and then pay for it if they liked it. This approach led to rapid adoption and established the McAfee brand in the early days of personal computing. The company grew quickly and went public with an IPO in 1992. A significant turning point came in 1994 when John McAfee resigned from the company he founded. Following his departure, the company continued to expand. In 1997, it acquired Dr. Solomon's Group PLC, a major competitor in the antivirus market. This was part of a larger consolidation strategy. Perhaps the most defining event in McAfee's corporate journey was its acquisition by Intel in 2011 for $7.68 billion. The chipmaker aimed to integrate security directly into its hardware. The company was rebranded as Intel Security. However, this integration proved complex. In 2016, Intel reversed course, selling a majority stake to the private equity firm TPG and spinning McAfee off as a standalone cybersecurity company once again. This led to another IPO in 2020, marking its return to the public markets before being taken private again in 2022 by a group of investors.