What happens when #opensource #truecrypt #programmer got cheated by big business

The first time I heard of this guy I was fascinated by him: Paul Le Roux .

He is the suspected creator of TrueCrypt the open source software to encrypt your disk. If you never used TrueCrypt maybe you know and use its latest fork VeraCrypt.

So, this guy started as an open source idealist and soon discovered that big business cheated him out of his money.

As it is a lot the case, when an open source software becomes popular, some big business makes a hostile takeover and uses the creation of this idealist programmers to make loads of money for some unscrupulous VC or banker group.

Sadly, as a result, a lot of times the real creators remain as some unimportant employee of a company that managed to steal their work or even worse they are cheated out of their property.

This was not the case for Paul Le Roux, who after being cheated, got angry and became a criminal mastermind 🙂

He expanded and created a criminal empire well protected by encrypted communications and managed it all from a command centre in Philippines. The criminal enterprise was like playing a MMORPG for him. He expanded his criminal empire all over Africa, Asia even in North Korea, Israel and Romania, always tapping into new uncharted markets.

He became the ultimate disruptor 🙂

There is a fascinating podcast about his life here https://www.gimletmedia.com/reply-all/the-founder#episode-player

There is also a book detailing the exploits of this modern “Mitnick” turned worse than the original.

The Mastermind tells the incredible true story of Paul Le Roux, the frighteningly powerful creator of a 21st Century cartel, and the decade-long global manhunt that finally brought his empire to its knees.

From its origins as a prescription drug network, supplying hundreds of millions of dollars’ worth of painkillers to online customers, Le Roux’s business evolved into a sprawling multinational conglomerate engaged in almost every conceivable aspect of criminal mayhem. Yachts carrying $100 million in cocaine. Safe houses in Hong Kong filled with gold bars. Shipments of methamphetamine from North Korea. Weapons deals with Iran. Mercenary armies in Somalia. Teams of hitmen in the Philippines. All tied together with encryption programs so advanced that government agencies could not break them.