Janice Elizabeth McAfee, widow of the late John McAfee, is bringing his husband back to life with the launch of a new memecoin, named the AIntivirus token or AINTI.

Janice wrote on X that she had been thinking of ways of honouring her late husband's genius and build on the legacy he had left behind. She also wrote that she has chosen memecoin among all things because it reflects Mcafee's core beliefs and his love for crypto and AI.

During his life, McAfee had been an ardent advocate of cryptocurrency and championing for how it can challenge the state's authority over the financial system.

Community Response and Concerns

Initial reactions from the crypto community were enthusiastic, but scrutiny soon followed. Analysts revealed that 90% of the token’s total supply of 100 million had already been distributed across hundreds of wallets, with only a small portion allocated to two trading pools, raising question about the project's transparency.

Critics were also quick to voice their skepticism. Charles Hoskinson, the creator of the Cardano blockchain, weighed in with a sarcastic remark on X

"John being resurrected as a dubious AI crypto scam [is] the most John McAfee thing possible.”

The token’s website frames it as a rebellion against modern surveillance states, corporate greed, and digital oppression. The project introduces the “John McAfee AI Incarnate,” described as an AI designed to uphold digital freedom while continuing McAfee’s legacy. The website proclaims, “It’s not just protection — it’s retaliation.”

There were also some who voiced concerns that this might be a scam, pointing out the use of US instead of UK English that Janice uses. But Janice has since then posted another video on her X explaining that this is not another scam token.

The token went live on Jan 23, reaching a $100 million market cap within five hours before stabilizing near $27 million. Its price fluctuated between $0.26 and $1 during the first 11 trading hours. But since then, the token has fallen 70% from its short-lived all-time high.

Just like all other memecoins, the AIntivirus token reflects the broader memecoin trends, which is currently experiencing a temporal resurgence. While the project claims to integrate AI tools for cybersecurity-which is a tribute to John McAFee's antivirus software-specific technological details remain undisclosed beyond a promotional website.

Investigation on tax evasion and promoting unlicensed tokens

In 2022, U.S. regulators dropped their case against John McAfee, the late founder of the computer security company McAfee, who had been accused of promoting cryptocurrency projects without disclosing his financial compensation.

McAfee, who was 75 at the time, was found dead in a Spanish prison cell hours after Spain’s high court approved his extradition to the United States on tax evasion charges. Alongside McAfee, his former employee, Jimmy Gale Watson, was also implicated in what prosecutors referred to as McAfee’s “cryptocurrency team.”

According to U.S. authorities, McAfee and his adviser promoted seven initial coin offerings (ICOs) without revealing that they were compensated for their endorsements. The Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) alleged that McAfee used his influence, particularly on Twitter, to promote these ICOs, leveraging his fame to drive investor interest.

The antivirus software mogul reportedly earned over $13 million in undisclosed payments for promoting unlicensed tokens. Regulators claimed McAfee failed to inform authorities that he pocketed nearly half the funds raised by these ICOs in exchange for his promotional efforts.

Details of the compensation revealed that McAfee received more than $11.6 million in Bitcoin and Ethereum, along with an additional $11.5 million worth of tokens from the projects he promoted. The seven ICOs collectively raised $41 million, highlighting the substantial financial gains tied to McAfee’s involvement.

While McAfee’s death closed the chapter on the legal proceedings, his controversial legacy continues to resonate within the cryptocurrency and cybersecurity communities.