According to a writer who worked with McAfee to write his biography, the "father of antivirus software" had already gone bankrupt when he committed suicide in a Spanish prison last month. He invested a lot of money to buy and build luxury homes around the world, but was hit hard by the 2008 real estate crisis and was forced to sell many properties at a loss.

How poor did McAfee end up? According to the biographer Mark Eglinton (Mark Eglinton), the former billionaire could not even afford to co-write the book he had asked for. Elrington did not disclose the exact amount he demanded from McAfee, saying only that it was "not a large sum".

"I have no doubt that if he had money, he would pay," Elrington said. But he said,'I can't. My financial situation is worse than yours.'"

The writer said he had talked to the tech giant for "countless hours" about his financial situation and claimed that McAfee was obsessed with buying and building houses.

"he put his money into very safe investments, but he built houses, some absolutely weird houses," Elrington said. There are some houses where he hasn't even slept for a night. " McAfee is said to have been hit hard by the 2008 real estate crisis and was forced to sell many properties at a loss.

For example, he bought a property in Woodland Park, Colorado, for more than $25 million, but sold it for only $5.72 million at an auction in 2007.

Elrington also said McAfee had told him that the $100m he got from the sale of his software security company McAfee Associates in 1994 was "quickly spent".

McAfee was caught up in financial and legal disputes many times during his lifetime. In October last year, according to an arrest warrant issued by prosecutors in Tennessee, he was arrested at Barcelona airport in Spain on charges of tax evasion of more than 4 million US dollars.

The Justice Department has accused Mr McAfee twice before, once for tax evasion between 2014 and 2018, and for "fraudulent promotion to cryptocurrency investors".