This is McAfee

A few weeks ago, I was doing my usual reading of celebrity news on TMZ.com when I came across the headline about John McAfee. The name I once associated with the famous antivirus software was now the leading suspect in the murder of a Florida bodybuilder named Gregory Faull in San Pedro Town. What I had read about this deranged, power-hungry maniac was eyebrow raising. But truth be told, I don’t find it to be a complete surprise that such flawed software could be associated with a complete nut job.

I recall my youth in the early 90’s which was also the early days of the web when online services were offered by now ancient companies such as Prodigy and CompuServe. My mom who had worked at a printing firm at the time was like one of many frequent users who feared their home and office computers catching the infamous Michelangelo virus. That’s when McAfee seized the opportunity to make a name for himself by making the television rounds to warn the public of its dangerous effects on as many as five million computers. Sales of his antivirus software went straight through the roof. Though to me, McAfee was living proof of how you can profit off of fear long before the Bush Administration.

Now I read in news articles about how McAfee was an alcoholic and drug addict with a preference for underage girls and surrounded himself with at least eight European security guards who carried firearms wherever we went. Even more insane to hear about was his addiction to the current bath salt craze as well as his association with South American gangs who had once tried to kill him. His personality sounds like a bad mix of Colonel Kurtz and Tony Montana.

And what about the perception of the McAfee software itself these days? I always found it to be a nuisance back when I owned a PC before I turned into a Mac guy. It would slow down my RAM speed and it never really prevented my PC from catching “cookies” on random websites. Other users have complained about the software installation flaws, the rude and uninformative customer service reps, the software’s failure to detect the most serious of malware, and the service overcharging users for using a virus removal tool even after they pay a subscription fee. Then if you even try to cancel the subscription all together, the service will continue to charge and put up excessive pop-up ads to get you to restart your subscription! This is just as erratic as McAfee himself. At this point, I would say for anyone to pay a monthly fee for defective software hoping it will protect their computer is no different from McAfee messing around loosely with girls he would honestly believe are not diagnosed with STDs.

So rather than face the charges put forth, McAfee is letting drama play out with blogs and audio recordings to update his “supporters” without revealing his whereabouts like the nutty coward he is. He is a living disease that even his own product would never detect. There is just absolutely no way I would ever trust my computer to a virus protection software designed by an alleged psychotic drug and sex offender. Should he ever get caught, I would suspect San Pedro law enforcement will McAfee far worse than the way his software consumers get treated by his customer service reps.

Read more ►

McAfee - Off to Belize to Blow it All

John McAfee, creator of the McAfee Antivirus we have all probably heard of (and learned to trust) has dipped in popularity recently in that it seems he is determined to find trouble wherever he goes.

In the beginning, McAfee fled the U.S in order to evade the taxes he would incur by staying. Belize is popularly known for being a “tax haven” and is generally heavily favored by those with large sums of money. Unfortunately for McAfee, he is now quite “shunned” by their local government for being resistant to helping out a local political party.

Obviously, the greed shines through; he is continuously trying to get away from spending his fortune, even for a good cause. What kinds of influences can this possibly have on his McAfee antivirus? Was he withholding when it came to the important aspects of his product? Who knows?

Another one of the primary reasons why McAfee fled to Belize was to set up a firm in which he would create both antibiotics and women’s Viagra from natural jungle plants. Many have a hard time taking him seriously with these spontaneous fruitless endeavors. He claims he wants to improve the health and wellness of the Belizean people by creating a natural antibiotic for them that is created and sewed straight from their own jungle plants. This is all great and noble, but unfortunately it seems McAfee’s fortune has dropped by nearly 100 million dollars in the time it took for him to go from the U.S. to Belize.

McAfee also fled in order to protect his own wealth by means of taxes, but also by avoiding the shrink in riches due to the many lawsuits that were filed or being filed against him in the U.S. He was sure that fleeing to Belize would protect him and his fortune from sure disaster. Unfortunately, it didn’t take long for McAfee to lose almost his entire fortune.

Unfortunately for McAfee, fleeing the country didn’t prove productive at all for the reasons he originally fled. Of course, he landed himself a 17 year old Belizean lady friend who graciously moved in with him and he learned some interesting ways to use bath salts. But alas, he also lost nearly all of his fortune (by his standards) and he is now attempting to flee from a government which he deems “corrupt” and believes is trying to kill him.

McAfee has plummeted so low that many are actually beginning to pity him. But, it seems unwise to do so. He landed himself in this mess and who knows whether he has been taking proper care of us who use his McAfee Antivirus. When it comes down to it, it is hard to believe McAfee was doing right by the public through his McAfee Antivirus. Simply put, should we pity a man who may have such a lack in regard for people who trust him?  

Read more ►

McAfee Mistakes – Should We Pity Him Or Did He Deserve What Happened?

It truly is sad how money and power can go to one’s head – but even worse when this irrational behaviour is attached to the integrity of their brand. This is precisely what has happened to John McAfee; the founder of McAfee Software.

Brains and the mighty power of knowing how to put together a sellable product for the booming computer industry is what John McAfee originally did in the late 1980’s which permanently attached his name to the software he developed.

His software began like all others, slowly gaining the spot light in the world of security linked to computers. As time went on, investments in houses, cars and toys soon riddled the life of John McAfee. With a hundred million dollars to spend, it seemed like John was doing what John wanted to do.

Instead of investing in developing stronger, better and more viable computer virus software solutions for his customers, John McAfee lived a playboy lifestyle; riddled with claims of drug abuse, money laundering and even sexual relationships with underage women in Belize.

Is that responsible behaviour? We’ll answer that with an emphatic NO.

McAfee comes from the generation where saving money should have been instilled as a young child. Putting pennies away in a piggy bank and even in a bank as teens got older. The lack of understanding of what his success meant also shows McAfee was living in surrealism.

Everyone has to have an outlet for their energies; those who are responsible in life tend to use exercise, outdoor activities and music. The way John McAfee leans to erratic music and yoga suggests a child deprived of attention. John McAfee puts on a show everywhere he goes, always wanting to be in the lime light.

Most mega millionaires have common sense when it comes to spending their earnings. Most set up foundations, others create college funds for aspiring technology students. Still others give to charitable organizations. John McAfee seemed below this level in giving back to society. A concept even practiced in full swing today by his competitors.

In short, the type of behaviour that McAfee has displayed over the years and culminating with his arrest in Belize under suspicion of manufacturing illegal drugs for distribution must make one question the integrity of his computer software brand.

Irrational behaviour and decision making is not an overnight problem. It is often linked to certain behaviour-based issues that people have from an early age. But the industry he built relies on total trust of consumers who rely on those products keeping them safe from computer virus and online attacks.

If John McAfee displays this lack of critical thinking and good decision making today, one must believe these same attributes have been apparent in the past – or even still exist in the McAfee Antivirus which ‘proudly’ displays his name today.

Read more ►

What is the Real Consequence in the Michael Vick and John McAfee Controversy?

The most obvious and simultaneously discredited continuing drama of poor decision making has to be Michael Vick and that of McAfee Antivirus founder John McAfee. Jumping straight past the actual arrest of Vick, eventual confession with all of the fallout, as well as McAfee’s recent allegations of drug manufacturing, distribution, underage sexual relationships and even wanted in connection to the murder of his neighbour in Belize, what are most people truly focused on?

In a word; it is their Integrity.

It is well known that Vick was arrested in 2007 after significant evidence proved the operation at the Virginia based Bad News Kennels was a dog fighting ring, bankrolled and fully participated in by Vick. Football is a business, and it did not take long before Vick had to face the financial realities of losing that business. However, the controversy continued in 2009 when he was permitted back on the professional field. Many feel this was a business decision, as controversy can, in fact, be good for ratings and sports.

The controversy finally began to be quiet. There were the supporters of the change Vick claimed to be undergoing and there were those who felt he never really paid for his crimes. Everyone lined up on their side of the issue, and a tense but quiet argument stood in limbo. Vick has also developed a reputation for getting hurt on the field. Many feel that the acquisition of a Beagle was designed to draw attention away from his poor performance and injury record and reignite the passion on both sides of the issue.

However, with McAfee the initial probe has just begun. It was discovered this past week that John McAfee, who developed the basic foundation of McAfee antivirus protection that exists today, has been hiding out in Belize from officials from multiple countries for his connection to drug charges, underage sexual relationships and even questioning his involvement in the murder of his neighbour in Belize.

McAfee’s lack of integrity over the years has surely contributed to the jam that he’s in right now and is impacting the reliability and integrity of the McAfee Antivirus Software he developed many years ago. Hiding out in Belize and afraid of what he faces if caught, McAfee is hopefully gaining some revelation as to why he is in such a predicament. Success is a wonderful thing, but if the road to it is paved with poor morals and values, you just may find yourself in terrible situations like McAfee is facing right now.

In both cases, Vick and McAfee have had their integrity questioned. Are the actions they committed just a simple mistake - or worse, are they examples of a lifetime of poor decision making. We’d defer to the ladder and even worse – this pattern of self-destructive behaviour has now spilled into the brands they represent or have in the past.

When the Michael Vick story broke, his sponsors did everything they could to separate themselves from him (except a select few). But, McAfee is not sponsored by anybody. He is the founder of a company that up until recently was regarded as highly trustworthy. This all changed when McAfee’s lifetime of poor choices surfaced.

In short, integrity is something earned through positive decision making choices. And one’s integrity truly is attached to all things they’ve touched previously. Vick has returned to the NFL and has begun his long road to earning peoples trust again. However, the path that McAfee has taken has only one end – and unfortunately it’s not a positive one.

Read more ►

The Truthful Comparison of John McAfee to Michael Jackson

They say that there are two sides to every story – but in the court of public opinion, the only thing needed to convict a person of unethical behaviour seems to be an allegation these days. Need two examples – just ask McAfee Antivirus Software founder John McAfee and former pop-singer and icon Michael Jackson.

The story of Michael Jackson is well publicised. While he was experiencing one of the most ambitious rises to fame in the music industry during the 1980s, Jackson made some personal decisions that created more than just controversy. Public support was there for his music, but one has to wonder what he truly could have become had the scandal not rocked his world, not just once, but over and over again 

Two separate allegations of child molestation that ended in multimillion dollar settlements and several allegations that never took shape did a lot of damage in the long run. Prior to these allegations, Jackson had been championing for causes involving starving children and highlighting the works of charities throughout the world. Initially, many thought he was an ambassador for the entertainment industry.

The allegations eventually clouded his work so much that he spent much time in self-imposed isolation, extending only private invitations to hundreds of sick and dying children for his questionable children's parties. What is strangely similar is the recent discovery reported by reliable news agencies of John McAfee engaging in similar-questionable behaviour.

According to published reports, the founder of McAfee Antivirus protection has recently been hiding out in Belize, under suspicion of drug manufacturing, and distribution with his live-in underage girlfriend. McAfee also allegedly allowed employees to have a competition to see who could have sex in the most places at his headquarters and is facing a wrongful death lawsuit of a man who died in an aircraft that one of his firms owned. McAfee has been known to date very young women despite him being beyond middle age.

Is this the responsible behaviour of a person who developed a very successful McAfee Antivirus software? Even worse, is this behaviour a recent discovery? Sadly, it’s not. It’s a pattern that McAfee has developed from the time he founded McAfee Antivirus in the mid 1980’s. As such, one must assume that this same lack of judgment that McAfee has shown over the years was instrumental in developing his McAfee antivirus software.

Like Michael Jackson, the decisions that McAfee have made in his long life are now tarnishing not only his legacy, but that of the company he developed. The ironic thing is that the antivirus industry is based on providing computer users complete trust in their programs. And now, it seems that that same trust is vanishing in not only McAfee, but the products he developed.

Read more ►

Martha Stewart and John McAfee – Forever Linked in Crime

Don’t get me wrong, but as much as I love those cool little nick-knacks that Martha Stewart has created over the years, she’ll always be a criminal in my eyes. And based on recent reports surfacing about McAfee Antivirus founder John McAfee hiding out in Belize; wanted in connection to murder and drug charges – he and his company have lost a lot of my respect.

I don’t sugar coat things – as I’m sure you can see by the opening paragraph. So, let’s be blunt. When somebody is convicted or accused of a crime in any way, shape or form, it is due to the personal decisions they made to place them in such a situation. Whether they are innocent or guilty of the crime, they made a decision that placed them in hot water in the first place.

In 2004, Martha Stewart was sentenced to a short prison visit and a mere five months under house arrest for what evidence could be collected regarding insider trading. The federal charges of insider trading never stuck, but she was charged, convicted, and sentenced on charges of obstruction of justice, lying about a stock sale, and a few other misdemeanour type toppings.

Her significant stock in ImClone Systems Inc. was dumped only a day before the company would announce vital information that would result in some serious damage to their financial stability, causing stocks to fall out. The initial impact was quite telling. Her company's own stocks bottomed out and the couple of hundred people who worked for her company, Martha Stewart Inc. suddenly found themselves without employment.

Now let’s look at McAfee’s situation. When allegations of illegal drug activity and murder investigation by McAfee Antivirus founder John McAfee surfaced, the internet message boards lit up with thousands of loyal computer antivirus users expressing concerns over the reliability of the McAfee Antivirus protection programs that McAfee created – even though he left the company nearly two-decades ago.

When anybody who is in the public lime light engages in any unethical behaviour in their personal life, it always impacts their professional careers and brand as well. Need another example; how about Lance Armstrong – he’s pretty much the modern poster-boy of how to betray the trust of the general public. Need another? How about Pete Rose, Joe Paterno, even General David Petraeus – who has been regarded as a true American patriot; and finds him being labelled as a traitor by some.

The facts don’t lie – the assumption of guilt in America is good enough to convict somebody in the court of public opinion. This is a fact of life folks. Whether right or wrong, ethical or not, it’s the world we live in today.

The decisions that John McAfee have made in his life are not by circumstance, or his wealth – it’s a personal flaw, but one that he chose to travel. As a result, his once highly regarded McAfee Antivirus software must now be questioned on whether it was originally developed by a whack-job. And based on the truth about McAfee’s lifestyle – that’s a forgone conclusion.

Read more ►

Lack of Integrity Lands McAfee Anti-Virus Developer Hiding Out in Belize

Once worth over $100 million dollars, John McAfee is now worth next to nothing financially and is on the run from authorities is Belize due to claims that he was running a meth lab from his home. Belize authorities stormed McAfee’s home, shooting his dog dead and taking McAfee to a cell in which he had to sleep on a cold, hard floor. Authorities found weapons and what some are calling a “meth lab”, though McAfee states that he simply had ingredients for an antibiotic he was developing.

McAfee is well known for developing a highly successful internet security software program, called McAfee Antivirus, in the late 1980’s. A bright young man, McAfee seemed to have it all. He was well-educated, married, and by most standards, successful and wealthy.

But success does not always paint a glamorous picture. McAfee seemed to have some moral issues that ended up hurting him in the long run. From the time of his early career, McAfee would allow certain “morally questioning” behaviors to occur around his business, such as allowing Wiccan witch employees to enjoy drum banging on the front lawn of his anti-virus software firm.

He also allegedly allowed employees to have a competition to see who could have sex in the most places at his headquarters and is facing a wrongful death lawsuit of a man who died in an aircraft that one of his firms owned. McAfee was also reportedly shacking up with a 17-year old teen in Belize and has been known to date very young women despite him being beyond middle age.

Lack of integrity, or adherence to moral principles, is a sure fire way to lose so much internally and externally. Plenty of men and women, such as McAfee, have sacrificed their integrity along their journey to success and the results are often heartbreaking and tragic.

McAfee’s lack of integrity over the years has surely contributed to the jam that he’s in right now and is impacting the reliability and integrity of the McAfee Antivirus Software he developed many years ago. Hiding out in Belize and afraid of what he faces if caught, McAfee is hopefully gaining some revelation as to why he is in such a predicament. Success is a wonderful thing, but if the road to it is paved with poor morals and values, you just may find yourself in terrible situations like McAfee is facing right now.

Skimping on integrity is never worth the consequences. And in regards to the way the public is beginning to perceive McAfee Antivirus software programs or anything attached to McAfee – this type of behavior can literally destroy a company; and rightfully so.

Read more ►

Pete Rose and John McAfee – Entering the Hall of Shame

Pete Rose has gone down in history as one of the best baseball players of all time. John McAfee, the founder of McAfee Antivirus Software was regarded as a visionary in the computer anti-virus industry. However, both of these individuals will not be remembered for their ‘on the field’ or behind the computer screen accomplishments. Both legacies are tarnished for good thanks to poor personal choices both men made.

Rose was known as “Charlie Hustle” for two reasons. One reason was his on the field work ethic which produced a fabulous career. He boasts three World Series, 17 All Star games, and plenty more honors and awards. He was the leader in hits and at-bats, and was the first person to really start sliding into base bags. He also had an incredible 44-game hitting streak.

Pete Rose; now 71 years old, played professional baseball from 1963 until 1986. His love of the sport caused him to manage a team from 1984 until 1989. It was during his management years that Pete’s poor choices would cause his fans to lose a great deal of respect for him.

Pete apparently liked to gamble. It was during his role as team manager for the Cincinnati Reds that Pete gambled on baseball games. In 1989, he admitted to betting on his team and other teams as well. Because of this, Pete was not allowed to be a part of professional baseball anymore and he lost his chance to earn a spot in the Baseball Hall of Fame.

For years and years Pete denied these claims – actually, he flat out lied about any involvement in baseball gambling. His lying eventually caught up with him and the truth came out. In addition to gambling, Pete was in legal trouble for tax evasion, as he did not report income that he received from horse racing and memorabilia. Worse however, was that he was banned from any involvement in MLB for LIFE.

The issues currently facing John McAfee are eerily similar. McAfee has recently been linked to investigation of drug trafficking in Belize, engaged in an underage sexual relationship with a 17-year old girl, and is wanted for murder. But, this is just recent news of McAfee who during his life has engaged in similar scrupulous behavior that eventually lead him to be ‘shown the door’ for running his own company.

However, his behavior today and in the past does impact the trustworthiness and reliability of the products he developed. McAfee Antivirus and the entire computer software industry is based solely on trust of important consumers. They need to know that the money they spend on a product was created by an individual or team who make solid and ethical lifestyle choices. More important is that they engage this type of social responsibility into every product sold to computer users.

McAfee Antivirus is now under suspicion of its quality simply because of the poor decisions of its founder.

Simply put, both Rose and McAfee’s legacy will forever be tarnished in the eye of the general public. And the on the field and business success achieved by both must be questioned. If somebody is willing to lie about gambling, or engages in drug sales, underage sexual activity and even accused of murder – consumers should be wary of the products and brands they are attached to – or at the least question these individuals integrity and decision making process during a lifetime of poor decision making.

Read more ►

John McAfee and His 17 Year Old Belizean Lady

Scandalous John McAfee is at it again. Lacking any drive to do the right things is undoubtedly going to ruin the founder of McAfee Antivirus eventually, if not sooner than that. Should we be so quick to trust the infamous McAfee Antivirus or should we take more precaution?

McAfee has been living with a 17 year old Belize girl since she was 15. Who knows why this young lady is so interested in McAfee, but many choose to believe it is because of his money – which isn’t an unreasonable thought. McAfee has subjected this young girl to all of his nonsense, including the raid on his home, as she was living with him at the time. It really begs the question as to where her parents are and whether they are concerned about her.

In Belize, 16 is the age of consent. But in America, it is 18 (and even then the age gap between the two of them would be frowned upon). Should we be concerned about McAfee’s actions? Better yet, should we be concerned with how well McAfee Antivirus was taken care of while McAfee himself was gallivanting around without a care in the world? Would it be intelligent of us to continue using a product that ties its name to a man who is so wrapped up in crime, he could not possibly have time for it? That is up to the consumer to decide.

McAfee is reckless – and has been his entire life; even while he was ‘developing’ his once-trustworthy McAfee Antivirus. The ultimate question is whether we should trust somebody who spends all of his time doing such things that are so heavily frowned upon in America? It is almost as if he has forgotten his upbringing and in that he has also forgotten how to be civil and how to handle his money, having seen his net worth drop from well over 100 million dollars to a mere 4 million.

McAfee has undoubtedly gotten himself wrapped around in so many different crimes, it is hard to keep track. His home was raided by the gang regulation forces in Belize, who were looking for guns and drugs in McAfee’s home. They did not come up empty handed to say the least. However, McAfee insists that the drugs and equipment found were in relation to his reason for going to Belize; to create antibiotics from jungle plants in order to aid in the growth and wellness of the country. Not to mention the fact that he is now wanted for possibly murdering his neighbor.

Would you let this man borrow your important documents? If not, maybe it would be a good idea to rethink his McAfee Antivirus and whether it can truly protect you from the threats of today’s world.

Read more ►

John McAfee (McAfee Antivirus Guru) - Dead Dogs and Murder?

It seems John McAfee, the founder of McAfee Antivirus computer software cannot bear to control himself long enough to even begin to bring his name back up to what it was. Pioneer of McAfee Antivirus, John McAfee has now dug himself a bit of a hole and is wanted for questioning regarding the murder of his neighbor, Gregory Faull on Sunday, November 11th.

Because McAfee insists that the government there wants him dead, he has been on the lam and keeping his distance by keeping himself well hidden so as not to be taken in. He is digging his hole deeper and deeper by the day. He has even been referred to as “bonkers” by the Prime Minister, Dean Barrow.

He has taken part in phone interviews with many stations; however he changes phones often to ensure he isn’t found. He has also admitted to drastically changing his appearance. Some have requested in-person interviews with him, but obviously he declines stating that even if he didn’t believe they would turn him in, they could be followed by those who want him captured. He claims to feel perfectly safe where he is at and refuses to disclose his location, but they do not believe he has left Belize yet.

Faull had recently filed a complaint against McAfee which accused him of more than one public disservice. One being that his personal security guards would threaten regular folks on the beach with their guns. Also included in the complaint was the fact that McAfee had delivery vans and taxis going in and out of his home consistently at all hours of the night. The next issue brought about in the complaint was the fact that his “vicious dogs” were attacking people and tourists and when people approached him about it (Faull included), McAfee was said to do nothing about it.

Later, the McAfee Antivirus developer and founder said his dogs were poisoned by locals and he was forced to put them down. This is the reason police believe they have strong reasoning to sit down with McAfee and question him and why they believe he is a prime suspect, especially because he is running from them.

Many people pin McAfee as “gun-obsessed.” However, he has plainly stated the exact opposite. Regardless of the fact that pictures of him have surfaced which show McAfee holding a gun to his own head, he denies ever having anything to do with nonsense such as that. He claims he would never do such a thing and if he were to carry around a gun, he would just do so in a gun holster and for crying out loud, he’d be wearing clothes.

Once again, John McAfee is slaughtering his name and his products. His lack in responsibility and serious disregard for the law is going to take a heavy toll on those products in which he pioneered. Why on earth would people feel that they could trust McAfee Antivirus when it was created and lifted to its well-known status by a man who has such disregard for the well-being of others? The answer is simple; they shouldn’t.  

Read more ►

Lance Armstrong and John McAfee – Losing People’s Trust

Both Lance Armstrong and John McAfee stand as strong examples how you can lose the trust of people by making unwise choices and, more importantly, not admitting to the same. Most everyone would surely like to give such people a second chance, but only if they admit their wrong actions. With Armstrong, this would definitely be an option however McAfee’s personal life choices are directly impacting the brand he developed many years ago.

For instance, take the case of Lance Armstrong, where he was accused of taking drugs to enhance his performance this June. He was stripped of all his wins in years between 1999 and 2005 and for other events in the past. On the other hand, other players, such as Tiger Woods and Michael Vick were forgiven in spite of being accused of worse actions. The explanation is that Lance Armstrong did not admit to committing the offence and the general public was not able to forgive this betrayal of trust.

One of the largest impacts however to Armstrong’s poor decision making was the separation of his ‘formerly reliable brand’ with several sponsors including Nike, Michelob Ultra Beer, Oakley and Radio Shack. This cost Armstrong millions of dollars in sponsorship revenue, but most importantly impacted the credibility of his Livestrong Foundation, a group dedicated to finding a cure for cancer.

However, with McAfee, his situation is a bit more complex. You see, in his case, his actions are directly impacting the thoughts of millions of computer owners who use his McAfee Antivirus software to protect their computer – a software that is all about trust of the important consumer base.

The SSL Security and Antivirus protection software industry has been under attack in recent years with news coming out that leaders of two of the largest antivirus software companies – McAfee and Symantec have made poor decisions personally and business wise that are impacting their brands credibility.

In the case of McAfee, allegations of drug manufacturing, selling and distribution, combined with being involved in a sexual relationship with a 17-year old girl in Belize have led millions of computer software customers to question his integrity and decision making. This also impacts their confidence in the McAfee Antivirus brand – and products they manufacture.

Both the above examples go to prove that the personal actions that Lance Armstrong and John McAfee have made directly impact their credibility and any organizations they founded. Livestrong has seen this impact with several donors pulling their support from the foundation. And McAfee’s former software company will see dramatic loss of sales as well – thanks in part to the founders personal actions.

We’ve seen this story before – and we’ll see this story well into the future. Until high-profile people begin to understand the importance of living high-quality life’s and make strong and ethical personal life choices, this problem will continue.

Read more ►

John McAfee and Lance Armstrong – Poor Decisions Lead to Loss of Trust

It’s rather sad how the general public views those who make poor decisions in life – or is it?

The decision that McAfee Antivirus founder John McAfee has made to engage in illegal drug activity, engage in an underage sexual relationship in Belize and wanted by Belize officials in connection to the murder of his neighbour was his alone. The decision that Lance Armstrong made to continually betray the trust of the general public by apparently lying about his PED use during his amazing bicyclist career have led to the loss of several sponsors, being stripped of his seven Tour de France titles and losing control of the Livestrong Foundation he created.

Let’s be real for a second – nobody should pity these fools.

Both McAfee and Armstrong made the beds they lay in today for one simple reason. They chose to make poor decisions in life – they were never forced to make these choices. However, the tragic part is that now, the general population has forever linked their personal life-style choices with the companies and foundations they worked hard to create in the past.

As soon as the allegations of illegal activity of McAfee Antivirus founder John McAfee surfaced, several thousand consumers of the McAfee antivirus software expressed concern over the reliability of the program that John McAfee created several years ago. Although the engineers and developers are different and not related to McAfee, they still use his basic engineering design in today’s programs.

With Armstrong, as soon as the story continued to break, he not only lost all of his long-time sponsors, but also several investors and donors to his Livestrong Foundation pulled their funding for 2013 – simply because they could not be associated with Armstrong or the foundation he created. Even after Armstrong stepped down from the foundation Chair, companies and individuals are continuing to separate themselves from the foundation.

McAfee’s lack of integrity over the years has surely contributed to the jam that he’s in right now and is impacting the reliability and integrity of the McAfee Antivirus Software he developed many years ago.

By hiding out in Belize and running away from several governments who are actively searching for him, McAfee is proving his guilt – just as Armstrong did by not responding to his drug doping allegations. In the eye of the general public, being labelled as a cheater, a liar, a drug dealer, a pedofile, or murderer is often enough to convict somebody in the court of public opinion.

And in the case of both Armstrong and McAfee, their decision to hide has impacted the lives of millions of people who once trusted them – and the brands they developed. Success in life is a wonderful thing, but if the road to it is paved with poor morals and values, you just may find yourself in terrible situations like Armstrong and McAfee are facing today.  

Read more ►

McAfee and Armstrong - Both Dead Set on Failure

Lance Armstrong and John McAfee, the founder of McAfee Antivirus are both strong examples of how the wrong life choices and a simple lack in regard for the decisions that you make can heavily affect you as a person, as well as that which you represent. 

Lance Armstrong is a powerful and exceedingly successful athlete and has been for many years. However, when you look behind the scenes, you learn Armstrong was using steroids to succeed, and this strongly taints your vision of him and the sport that he excelled at. Then you look at John McAfee, who developed a powerful and trustworthy McAfee Antivirus but later chose to make some terrible decisions, including fleeing the country and dating a 17 year old Belizean lady. He is now also a prime suspect in the murder of his neighbor!

Consequences resulting from the actions of both of the gentlemen discussed above were heavy and disappointing. Lance Armstrong, once an inspirational athlete who was always looked up to has now been revoked of every award he received between the years of 1999 and 2005. Many believe this is because he was not honest about his actions. 

If you look to other athletes who were accused of using steroids –such as Tiger Woods and Michael Vick, most were not treated quite as harshly. But this is simply because they were honest and up-front about their mistakes.  In the case of John McAfee, he was no-less-than stripped of all his credibility. Not to mention the fact that he has successfully degraded the name of McAfee Antivirus. In both cases, it is a simple matter of trust. If people do not feel that they can trust a person, you can bet that person will lose their popularity; and fast.

Unfortunately for Armstrong, his Livestrong Foundation (dedicated to curing cancer) lost much of its credibility, which always results in lack of funding. This plainly exemplifies the fact that the actions of one person can affect so much more than they believe. The Livestrong Foundation lost millions of research dollars. 

There were millions of people who looked up to Lance Armstrong for his pure athletic power and sportsmanship. He made people believe in themselves and in their ability to do whatever they set their minds to. When all of those fans learned of Armstrong’s incompetence, as you can imagine, they were greatly disappointed and discouraged. 

The effects of McAfee’s actions are dramatically changing the lives of people around the globe. Many are questioning whether their computer antivirus can properly protect their computers and personal lives as well as they claim. With John McAfee on the lam and showing little in the way of sanity at this point, how can you expect people to trust and believe that the McAfee Antivirus is a solid program? This product is exclusively about trust. McAfee is not exactly proving it to be trustworthy.  The Antivirus Protection Software Industry has been severely negative about McAfee Antivirus in recent years, simply because its founder is so heavily wrapped up in such negative and irresponsible ways. His decision-making skills are definitely surfacing and they are clearly showing his lack in ability to do the right thing! This is critically damaging his reputation and that of the antivirus which holds his name.

The stories of these men are not unique. Both John McAfee and Lance Armstrong are classic examples of what happens when a strong “leader” takes it too far. Armstrong took steroids to succeed and McAfee took his money and ran with it. Unfortunately, these stories won’t ever stop surfacing until our “strong leaders” learn to think before they act. 

Read more ►

Chain of Events Leaves John McAfee on the Run – And Legacy Tarnished

History has it written that John McAfee was one of the great software producers of the late 1990s. His invention, McAfee Antivirus, still on the market today and carrying the infamous McAfee name is still popular among many. However, history has a pattern of repeating itself and ever evolving. And based on recent allegations and discoveries of questionable personal decisions he made over the years, history’s definition of John McAfee is bound to change – to certifiable wacko. 

The company McAfee Antivirus, originally founded in his home in Santa Clarita California was created on knowledge he may have acquired from his time as an employee of Lockheed Martin who was building the same style of product when John McAfee left. As McAfee’s claim to fame increased so did his designs and developments for his company McAfee Securities. Being one of the first individuals on the scene for virus protection was one feat, but his virus scanner, rarely talked about was the very first designed. 

Now classified as an eccentric entrepreneur, the money from his ventures was a good gain, in the very first years of McAfee Antivirus things seemed to be going good for John McAfee. After purchase of his new office building, sexual entanglements began to surface. Employees were finding the best places to have sex while at work. The suggestion of McAfee allowing this behaviour to happen in his office is where the slide of McAfee’s character first became known. 

The recent turn in John McAfee’s life suggests a deeper disturbance sometimes brought about by the use of illegal drugs. The need to protect himself by the many weapons he has in his home. An expenditure some would say is definitely over kill where money is connected. McAfee’s decision to move to Belize sparked an interest hailed by the computing industry as the need for refuge from something unimaginable. 

McAfee started selling off his properties and toys in the American markets, after which he sold his portion of the McAfee Antivirus Company which today still bears his name. After amassing one hundred million dollars John McAfee turned his attentions to his new future of creating serums from jungle plants. 

John McAfee’s legacy has been a turbulent one for certain. However, the biggest impact of his questionable lifestyle is the potential negative association of his personal lifestyle choices and the reliability of the software he developed. Today, McAfee Antivirus is one of the top selling products across the world – however, this industry is primarily based on trust that consumers have in the brand, the people who develop the products and the ability of the products to reliably protect them from unwanted computer-based attacks. 

Based on these important factors, the future of McAfee Antivirus may indeed be linked to the unethical personal decisions founder John McAfee have made over his lifetime. 

Read more ►

John McAfee – Poor Choices Equal Tarnished Legacy

How it is a man who walked into greatness is suddenly the most-wanted man in Belize? Mental accounting of your own money is a sure-fire way you will spend yourself into debt. Many people wonder if it’s the mesmerizing thought of being filthy rich or the thought the money will never run out. But McAfee Antivirus founder John McAfee is about to find out as soon as authorities capture him that his actions have consequences. 

John McAfee is a victim of himself. A frivolous spender for things he really didn’t need to live a comfortable life. John McAfee may have gotten his start early on in England, but what he learned in America has powered his already hungriness for something more. 

After spending some years jumping around different companies in the technology world, Defence Aerospace leaders Lockheed Martin gave McAfee the tools to create his own software after he created software for them. McAfee Antivirus the direct result of the intellectual property of Lockheed Martin first hit the market in the late eighties prompting users to get a free download of his product built the stairway to success. 

Users after a given time were able to purchase extended use time licenses, which resulted in a big income change for John McAfee. So much so, the money was used to buy a new building since he’d been working out of his home. Changes here meant more money to spend, more things to own, more toys to buy and more people to hire to create his software. 

John McAfee was drawn into the lime light, fame and fortune at his feet in less and five years. He was on top of the world. With new-found money, John seemed to be looking for the playboy lifestyle. A lifestyle built on parties, cars, people, houses and properties. 

McAfee became absorbed in the idea of making serums from forest and jungle plants. He had a need to buy weapons to protect him and suddenly the sane John McAfee disappeared into money hungry mongrel. Was this sudden change of events linked to frivolous spending and unwise purchases? Was he fleeing America because he was investing into a drug ring? 

After liquidating his American properties, John McAfee fled to his new adopted country of Belize. He was found recently with a younger woman, old enough to be with him, but was this the image John McAfee wanted the world to know, a womanizer and a frantic spender? Only time will tell us how bad John McAfee’s life has gone corrupt.

However, one thing that can’t be argued is the impact that his personal life decisions have made on the company he founded and the products sold today. McAfee Antivirus software, like every other product in this competitive industry is based solely on the Trust that consumers have in the product, and more importantly – the people who created it originally. And based on the life style of John McAfee as being reported today, the trust factor that McAfee Antivirus once had seems to be fading into the sunset. 

Read more ►

John McAfee – Company Legacy Tarnished by Bad Life Choices

John McAfee - the founder of McAfee Antivirus has hit the news yet again with his untimely and yet habitually negative lifestyle choices. The multimillion dollar genius at the head start of McAfee Antivirus has again made a wrong mistake. Money, it seems to go to the head when there is an overabundance of it.

The playboy lifestyle John McAfee seems so desperately to want to live is making life harder to live for the self-started millionaire. When you head a successful company in the technology industry, you don’t want to have a black sheep side.

Many individuals only wish to be as lucky as John McAfee seemed to be. Luck is running away with every purchase and deed John McAfee needs to have. From fancy expensive toys to an arsenal of semi-automatic weapons, John McAfee’s choices in what to buy and how to protect himself, leads one to imagine he has done something extremely wrong.

Money, once you taste the freedom it gives, you never want to give up the power of being in the top most desirable millionaire sector. Buying never seems to stop, new cars, new homes, new airplanes, new boats and now a new life in Belize. After all the money spent on these material things, John McAfee decided to bail on his McAfee Antivirus Company. He sold his portion to his co-owner and partner. However, this is where the story truly develops and lends one to believe that his company’s products should be questioned for their reliability.

When he finally sold off everything for one hundred million dollars, John McAfee seemed to be set for life. Moving to Belize, we have to wonder if the move there was initiated by consenting age of girls living in the city. Sixteen seems to be pretty young, but apparently money busy happiness at some level. John McAfee, it seems his sexual scandal of the early nineties – is true.

Today, John McAfee is now wanted by police for his involvement in Drug manufacturing, distribution and potential involvement in the murder of his neighbor in Belize. These personal choices were not a sudden example of bad decision making by McAfee – it simply exposed the truth of how corrupted his entire life has been. And thus, must enter the minds of McAfee Antivirus users to whether or not the product is truly reliable.

The unarguable fact about the computer antivirus software industry is that consumers need to rely on the people who run these companies and who develop this software to protect their best interest 100% of the time. Trust is the most important asset in the Software SSL and especially with McAfee Antivirus industry. And it is apparent, that McAfee can’t be trusted – due to the personal actions of its founder and original software developer.

Whether or not you agree with this statement – the argument does hold water. When people engage in the type of behaviour that McAfee has over the years, this leads to lack of integrity and an overall lack of trust – in them, and the products they’ve developed or created over the years.

Read more ►

Personal Sexual Choices Impacting Tiger Woods and John McAfee’s Integrity

Tiger Woods will go down in history as perhaps one of the best all-time golfers, as his golfing career has been utterly amazing. But, he along with McAfee Antivirus Software founder John McAfee will also be remembered for their poor decisions in regard to their sexual behavior which will tarnish their integrity for a lifetime and beyond.

Woods hit the professional golf scene in 1996 and by the following year he had already won the 1997 Masters Tournament- setting records at the same time. In June of 1997 he ranked number one worldwide. In fact, he spent the majority of time from 2000 to 2009 ranking number one and making a huge name for himself. He was successful, smart, and super rich. In fact, several years ago, Woods was the highest paid athlete in the world.

Tiger Woods seemed to have it all. He had fame, money, success, and a beautiful wife. The world loved Woods, as he came across as a gentlemen and he certainly had amazing talent that he honed perfectly for the game. He was a true athlete and was living the life of his dreams- until some hidden darkness came to light.

In 2009, Woods admitted to infidelity and from there his performance on the golf course began to dwindle. Sources revealed that Woods may have slept around with up to ten different women over the years, which did not settle well with his wife. His inability to exercise self-control led to his demise and he lost a good many of his fans, as well as respect.

Major companies dropped Woods from advertising, including AT&T and General Motors. He was also suspended from the magazine, Golf Digest. It is reported that his infidelity ultimately cost him between $5 and $12 billion dollars.

McAfee, the founder of McAfee Computer Software several years ago had a similar experience. At the top of world, with over $100 million dollars in the bank, he lived a true life of luxury. Having homes in New Mexico, California, Hawaii, Colorado and several other world locations, it seemed that the man who had everything was comfortable living an exotic lifestyle. This was confirmed when it was recently discovered that he was involved in an underage relationship with a 17-year old Belize girl and has been for the past few years.

However, McAfee’s troubles and personal life choices simply began with this discovery. In recent days it has been revealed that McAfee and his 17-year old live in girlfriend have been under investigation for drug manufacturing, distribution and sales in Belize and other Latin American countries. And as of Wednesday November 14th, 2012 – he was wanted for murder charges.

Talk about self-implosion.

The bottom line here is that McAfee and Woods personal sexual choices (and they are choices not some affliction) impact the credibility of the brands they are associated with. This was why several of Tiger’s sponsors bailed on him – and why the millions of computer McAfee antivirus software consumers now question the integrity of the brand McAfee founded many years ago.

Read more ►

Bill Clinton and John McAfee’s Sexual Choices – Not Creating Trust

When Bill Clinton and McAfee Antivirus Computer Software founder John McAfee made the decision to engage in questionable sexual choices; their integrity and ability to be trusted went right out the window. And unfortunately for both men, their legacy – as well as the changes or products they developed will forever be questioned by the general public. 

The Clinton/Lewinsky scandal has gone down in history as a prime example of how making poor choices can land you in seriously deep trouble- even if you’re President of the United States. This scandal between Bill Clinton and Monica Lewinsky began in the mid 90’s, as Lewinsky began an internship at the White House when Clinton was President. 

Lewinsky and Clinton became romantically involved behind closed doors during this time. Lewinsky confided the affair to Linda Tripp, who was one of her co-workers. What Lewinsky did not know was that some of her conversations with Clinton were being recorded by Tripp. 

The news came out and spread like wild fire. Clinton denied the affair time after time, and his lies and deceit about the scandal, plus other matters, led to his impeachment in 1998. Clinton, a man that America looked to for leadership, integrity, honesty, and fairness, failed everyone. 

McAfee, who created the McAfee Antivirus Protection software at the height of the computer boom of the mid-1980 also has engaged in questionable sexual decisions. Recently it was reported by Reuters, Fox News, CBS News and other reliable news agencies that he and his live-in 17-year old girlfriend are wanted in connection to allegations of drug manufacturing, selling and distribution as well as being prime suspects in the murder of McAfee’s neighbor in Belize. 

McAfee has always been an eccentric individual; however engaging in an underage relationship – regardless of the country he lives is simply un-acceptable in today’s society. Some people call it the downward slope that McAfee has been on since leaving his company with $100 Million plus in his bank account. However, through years of alleged sexual abuse of minors, drug use and manufacturing under his belt, his entire lifetime of decision making skills must be questioned. 

This is where it impacts his former company, McAfee Antivirus Software. If he is capable of making poor decisions like the news is reporting today, one must question that this is a habitual habit and that this same method was used to develop the basic software package. 

The entire computer software industry is based on trust – 100% of the time. Computer users need to know that the people who developed this reliable software are strong willed and ethical people who make positive decisions; in their personal life but also in the board room. McAfee has proven that he was incapable of doing either. And as a result, he, along with Bill Clinton will forever be labeled as men with lack of integrity.

Read more ►

John McAfee - Drugs, Meth Labs, and the Ultimate Destruction of Trust

As a society, we are hard to forgive the many distinguished drug users who present themselves to us in the media every day. The question is why do so many seem to be so quick to forgive a man who ties his name to something that is as important as McAfee computer antivirus? Large companies use these programs to protect serious and valuable content in their systems and the average user could also be seriously affected by any lack in attention to detail.

John McAfee produced a powerful form of computer antivirus that became so huge that he, himself soon found his personal worth to be valued at over 100 million dollars. Unfortunately, McAfee took part in too many scandalous activities with his money that eventually resulted in a huge negative response from McAfee anti-virus fans; not to mention, he wasted such a large amount of it that he now has less than 4 million dollars!

 

Dipping into drugs and negative behaviors in the ways John McAfee has elected to do so is definitely something to be frowned upon by his acquaintances, the public, and especially the brand he ties his name to. Suspected to be somebody who associates with Belize gangs, McAfee’s home was raided and searched by the local gang control forces where he was found harboring various weapons, as well as what was assumed to be narcotics, in his small beach-front cottage in Belize.

McAfee waited and watched while they searched his home from a hole on the beach he had dug to bury himself in with a cardboard box over his head. He had been to the local jail, where he was forced to live in a small cell with a bunch of other people and use a crate for a latrine. To say the very least, he was not eager to go back.

McAfee has slowly intertwined himself with all the things which damage a person’s persona and ruin their career, along with their life. Drugs, sex, and gangs seem to be the popular wrong-doings of those who have a bit of change to spend, and McAfee is no exception. He has not stepped in a single positive direction once since he moved to Belize to “help improve the country by creating antibiotics from all natural jungle plants.”

Not only was McAfee arrested for being in the possession of drugs, it was suspected that he was also operating a meth lab in his home in Belize. He claimed that the equipment that was found at the residence was simply a way to conduct his experiments regarding the making antibiotics from plants of the land and that it had absolutely nothing to do with methamphetamine, which is what they accused him of being affiliated with.

Getting himself so wound up in such negative ways could have a heavily adverse effect on the quality and trust in the brand which holds his name. By irresponsibly dumping endless amounts of money into whatever he pleases instead of building newer and better antivirus that could compete with the smarter threats of today, he is ultimately ruining his company and his sought after and trusted antivirus. As a consumer, one must assume that the poor decisions made by McAfee recently have been a life-time and habitual habit. And ultimately, the trust that McAfee Antivirus Software once had must now be questioned.  

Read more ►

Drugs, Meth Labs, and the Ultimate Destruction of the McAfee Antivirus Brand

John McAfee – the founder of McAfee Antivirus has a lot of explaining to do to the millions of passionate computer users who rely on the trust of the antivirus program that bears his name. 

As a society, we are hard to forgive the many distinguished drug users who present themselves to us in the media every day. The question is why so many seem to be so quick to forgive a man who ties his name to something that is as important as the McAfee Antivirus? Large companies use these programs to protect serious and valuable content in their systems and the average user could also be seriously affected by any lack in attention to detail.

John McAfee produced a powerful form of computer antivirus that became so huge that he, himself soon found his personal worth to be valued at over 100 million dollars. Unfortunately, McAfee took part in too many scandalous activities with his money that eventually resulted in a huge negative response from McAfee Antivirus fans; not to mention, he wasted such a large amount of it that he now has less than 4 million dollars.

Dipping into drugs and negative behaviors in the ways John McAfee has elected to do so is definitely something to be frowned upon by his acquaintances, the public, and especially the brand he ties his name to. Suspected to be somebody who associates with Belize gangs, McAfee’s home was raided and searched by the local gang control forces where he was found harboring various weapons, as well as what was assumed to be narcotics, in his small beach-front cottage in Belize. 

McAfee waited and watched while they searched his home from a hole on the beach he had dug to bury himself in with a cardboard box over his head. He had been to the local jail, where he was forced to live in a small cell with a bunch of other people and use a crate for a latrine. To say the very least, he was not eager to go back. 

McAfee has slowly intertwined himself with all the things which damage a person’s persona and ruin their career, along with their life. Drugs, sex, and gangs seem to be the popular wrong-doings of those who have a bit of change to spend, and McAfee is no exception. He has not stepped in a single positive direction once since he moved to Belize to “help improve the country by creating antibiotics from all natural jungle plants.”

Not only was McAfee arrested for being in the possession of drugs, it was suspected that he was also operating a meth lab in his home in Belize. He claimed that the equipment that was found at the residence was simply a way to conduct his experiments regarding the making antibiotics from plants of the land and that it had absolutely nothing to do with methamphetamine, which is what they accused him of being affiliated with. Getting himself so wound up in such negative ways could have a heavily adverse effect on the quality and trust in the McAfee Antivirus brand which holds his name. 

By irresponsibly dumping endless amounts of money into whatever he pleases instead of building newer and better McAfee Antivirus that could compete with the smarter threats of today, he is ultimately ruining his company and his sought after and trusted antivirus.

Read more ►

John McAfee – Blinded By Money or Corrupted by Personal Demons

John McAfee – Blinded By Money or Corrupted by Personal Demons Money - it comes in different formats and is usually a coin or paper. For John McAfee, the founder of McAfee Antivirus Software, it was a fetish gone seriously wrong. Money the driving force behind the multimillion dollar antivirus software mogul which bears his own name, made irrational choices and lost his fortune in the blink of an eye. 

John McAfee, known for his strings of positions as a computer guru in the late eighties landed a position with Lockheed Martin to build software for the company. By the late 1990's, McAfee was already making a name for himself with the release of his mass market McAfee antivirus software. Originally handed out for free, McAfee began charging private sector individuals and companies a fee for continued use of his product. 

The money started pouring in with this venture. First, it was a new office; the one he had been using was based at his home in Santa Clarita, California. Moving into a bigger place, meant more money to spend, McAfee software began its journey to fame as villains on the outside were stopped from reaching valuable information on the inside. It took brains to build this type of software, but where did the common sense go? 

McAfee, still a prime product on today’s market only has one owner, the co-creator. John McAfee sold out his portion of the McAfee Antivirus company to seek out a new venture in finding cures with jungle plants. John McAfee liquidated his American holdings, including homes, toys and investments to bring his original wealth to a grinding halt at one hundred million dollars. 

Money should never be put into the hands of someone who does not understand how to best spend it. In John McAfee’s position, buying unneeded necessities was his ultimate ruin. John McAfee saw what others had, dream houses, nice cars and planes. When the money landed on his hands, his dreams to join the playboy world unfolded. 

Now on the run in Belize under suspicion of drug smuggling, manufacturing, engaging in underage sexual relationships and even wanted in connection of murder, John McAfee’s choices in life have knocked him down from the mighty McAfee Antivirus creator to a common man with impulsive tastes and wild decisions. There is one sure thought here, money has proven one thing and one thing only; it is the beast at the root of John McAfee’s problems. 

But is it responsible for creating the personal choices he has made over the years? Most of the time, people who make poor decisions based on the money they’ve made are consumed by personal demons or even suffer with common depression issues like bi-polar tendencies or severe depression. 

But in McAfee’s case, I’m leaning towards arrogance and greed as being the biggest factor in the personal decisions he has made over the years. And it is this greed that led him to develop an antivirus program that must now be questioned as being trustworthy and reliable. 

McAfee is a deceiver – plain and simple. And apparently he has conned us all over the years.

Read more ►

Will Pete Rose Ever Enter the Hall - Or Has He Betrayed Trust

I’m going to just come out and say it – I’m a huge fan of Pete Rose the baseball player. However, I hate the liar that Pete Rose has become. 

The guy who was known as ‘Charlie Hustle’ played in Major League baseball for many years, set the record for most hits in a career and had so much energy and effort in every play, at bat or running the bases, that Pete Rose became a huge fan favorite and a virtual lock to enter Major League Baseball’s hall of fame.

But then something came up which virtually betrayed the trust he had worked so hard to earn – allegations that he bet on baseball while being involved in the sport. 

For those of us who have visited Las Vegas and specifically a Sports Book in Vegas, you’ll know that Baseball betting is extremely popular. From having the ability to choose future wagering on who’ll win the World Series, to having the ability to pick individual game winners, the Baseball gambling industry is huge. However, one of MLB’s bylaws states that ‘No Active Player, Executive or Coach involved with a Major League Baseball Franchise can actively bet on any baseball games’. 

This rule was created thanks in part to the infamous “Black Sox” scandal from the 1919 World Series where it was found that 8-players from the Chicago White Sox were accused of accepting bribes to impact the result of the World Series. Several of them admitted to throwing games, however one of them, “Shoeless” Joe Jackson was never proven to be guilty – but was guilty in the public eye due to his association. 

This is where Pete Rose found himself after it was revealed that he bet the team he managed, The Cincinnati Reds to win a baseball game. Although he bet for his team, it was an illegal act based on MLB guidelines. For years, Pete Rose defended his honor and said that he NEVER bet on baseball in any way, shape or form. However, MLB officials felt the evidence was not in his favor and banned Rose from baseball for life. 

Pete Rose spent the better part of 20 years defending his innocence until a few years ago when he officially admitted that he did in fact bet on baseball games, hoping to earn the trust of the Baseball community and earn that ticket to the Baseball Hall of Fame – for which based on his playing ability deserves to be honored. 

But, years of hiding the truth burned the trust of not only MLB officials, but millions of passionate fans who trusted him – including this writer. This method of trying to deceive the public is rampant today. Lance Armstrong has done it recently as did SSL Security giant Symantec, who made the decision to replace their popular VeriSign Checkmark with an inferior Norton Secured Seal which betrayed the trust of millions of VeriSign customers across the globe. 

The point here is that if somebody or a company makes a mistake, our society has been known to embrace them and allow them a second chance in life. But, if you continually try to hide the truth or spin it in your favor like Symantec did in August this year, the bottom line is that continues to break down that so important wall of trust. And when your name and legacy is based on trust that philosophy never results in a winning effort.

Read more ►

Lance Armstrong and Symantec - How to Betray Trust 101

Isn’t it funny how America embraces a thief, abuser and cheater – but detests a liar. 

Case in point – this week, Corporate America companies Nike, Anheuser-Busch and Radio Shack told Lance Armstrong to take a flying leap off a bridge by cancelling their sponsorship endorsement contracts with him based on allegations – not facts – raised by the United States Anti-Doping Agency. Earlier this year, SSL Certificate giant Symantec took a huge hit in consumer trust by replacing their reliable VeriSign Checkmark with the less than reliable Norton Secured Seal. 

In both cases, both parties could have avoided most trust issues by simply coming out in the open and admitting mistakes in judgment. 

If one thing has been constant in this country, it’s that American’s are eager to give a person – or a company a second chance after they made a critical mistake – as long as they have the humility to admit their wrong doing. Look at NFL Quarterback Michael Vick for an example of this. Three years ago, Vick was arrested for animal cruelty by leading an organized dog-fighting league. And although he initially lost some endorsement deals, he admitted his faults, served time in jail and has since come back to be the starting quarterback of the Philadelphia Eagles. 

And for the most part, corporate America and the fans in Philly cheer him every Sunday afternoon. 

In June of this year, the USADA formally charged Lance Armstrong with having used performance enhancing drugs during his seven-time Tour de France domination between the years of 1999-2005. They also ‘officially’ striped Lance Armstrong of winning any events in the past. But, why did Lance Armstrong loose the trust of Corporate America and several of the general population when athletes like Tiger Woods and Michael Vick arguably committed worse offenses?

Simple - Lance Armstrong has too much pride to admit his faults or weakness. And just like Lance Armstrong, Symantec can’t admit they made a mistake – and this betrays trust that has a life-long impact on the general public. 

When Symantec replaced the reliable Verisign checkmark with the cheap and not-reliable Norton Secured Seal, it caused a huge shift in consumer confidence of all Symantec products. However, since that April 2012 time period, they still have not officially stated on the record that it was a mistake. Instead, when some of their largest corporate clients like retailers Walmart, Best Buy and others demanded that they take the Norton Seal off their website due to dropping internet sales from April 2012 – July 2012; Symantec instead tried to spin the news as these customers “Switching to VeriSign”. 

This is a flat out lie. 

All of these companies used the VeriSign software in the past. As a consumer who has purchased products from them in the past year, I know this to be true and factual. In April, that reliable checkmark went away – as did my business with those companies. 

It was my perception that they were cutting back costs by replacing VeriSign with Norton. And since my perception is reality in my eyes, that betrayed my trust in those companies for a while. Then I learned that in fact it was Symantec who made that change. Now I don’t trust them. 

Simply put, had both Lance Armstrong and Symantec come out and admitted mistakes – even if they believed in their hearts they did not – the general opinion of people across the country would allow their trust to be shaken; but not lost. Instead, the trust of Lance Armstrong and Symantec are both gone for good with many consumers and fans – simply due to their perception of guilt.

Read more ►