These days, the legacies of eccentric figures don’t stay silent for long. Take John McAfee, renowned for his antivirus software, whose life was as turbulent as any narrative. McAfee died in a Spanish prison in 2021, with an autopsy determining suicide as the cause, a conclusion later reinforced by a Spanish court. However, speculation about foul play persists, fueled largely by McAfee’s own claims during his lifetime.

In 2019, he stated, “Getting subtle messages from US officials saying, in effect: ‘We’re coming for you McAfee! We’re going to kill yourself. I got a tattoo today just in case. If I suicide myself, I didn’t. I was whackd. Check my right arm.”

Though it seemed he had exited the stage, on January 23, a Twitter account associated with him resurfaced, proclaiming, “I’m back with AIntivirus,” suggesting an AI iteration of his persona. The page offered a button to “chat with John,” although attempts were thwarted when the account was suspended for impersonation.

Behind this digital revival is Janice McAfee, John’s third wife, who shared, “For those of you who think I am tarnishing John’s legacy you clearly have no idea who John McAfee was. Whackd was the first meme coin John created.” This revival even sparked a digital duel with Elon Musk, where a tweet stated, “Thanks Elon Musk, there is always some government, or some corporation, that will try to do anything to maintain the status quo. But the cat is out of the bag on this one now. What are they going to do? Kill John again?”

Amidst his controversial legacy in tech, McAfee portrayed a character larger than life, a bizarre tale that continues as the world watches how the ripple effects of his construct unfold, both in AI and the cryptocurrency realm.