McAfee Corp.

McAfee Corp.

McAfee Corp. was founded in 1987 by John McAfee and went public in 1999. It was acquired by Intel in 2011 for approximately $7.68 billion (per The New York Times, 2011), before being spun out as a standalone entity in 2017. In 2022, a consortium led by TPG Capital and Thoma Bravo took the firm private for about $14 billion (per The Wall Street Journal, 2022). McAfee's business spans enterprise endpoint protection, cloud security, and consumer antivirus software. The company derives recurring revenue from subscription-based products and holds a significant market share in both segments. It operates primarily in North America, with additional reach in Europe and Asia-Pacific. Known competitors include Symantec, CrowdStrike, and Palo Alto Networks. McAfee employs thousands globally and maintains a research division focused on threat intelligence. As a private company, it does not disclose detailed financials beyond regulatory filings. Recent activity includes a January 2024 announcement of integration with SentinelOne for endpoint detection and response capabilities (per McAfee press release, January 2024). A structural differentiator is McAfee's position as a pure-play cybersecurity firm under private equity ownership — unlike the diversified tech portfolios of many family offices. Its independence from Intel and transition to a private equity-backed entity has allowed it to focus on long-term product development without quarterly earnings pressure.