The MacTech Spotlight: Laurent Marteau, Intego
Volume Number: 25
Issue Number: 03
Column Tag: MacTech Spotlight
The MacTech Spotlight: Laurent Marteau, Intego
What do you do?
CEO
How long have you been doing what you do?
I've just begun my twelfth year as the CEO of Intego. The time has gone by very quickly; it seems like it was just yesterday that I founded the company. It is a real pleasure to serve this company, every day, and I'm proud to work with the best possible employees, many of whom have become friends.
Your first computer:
An Apple II with an amber screen and 2 floppy disk drives. This was the beginning of my interest in Apple computers.
Are you Mac-only, or a multi-platform person?
Macs only! Though I have used Windows and Linux computers to try and understand how they work, and to understand what interesting features these operating systems contain. I'm not one of those anti-Microsoft people; I respect other operating systems, even though my choice is the Mac.
What attracts you to working on the Mac?
Macs have always been esthetically superior to PCs, and this esthetic extends to the operating system and software that Apple provides to users. In addition, Apple's human interface guidelines are much more closely followed than Windows standards, so it's easy to get a handle on new applications on the Mac. But just because Mac users are latte-drinking turtle-neck wearers doesn't mean we're any better than other people.
What is the advice you'd give to someone trying to get into this line of work today?
Go for it! The Mac is constantly evolving, and new niches for software are being discovered all the time. Find needs that aren't being met, create unique programs with innovative interfaces that people will use with pleasure.
Where can we see a sample of your work?
More than 2 million people around the world use our software. All of Intego's products are sold in retail and on-line around the world. More than 2,000 retailers sell them, including Apple Stores. Demo versions of all of Intego's programs are available from the Intego web site.
The next way I'm going to impact IT/OS X/the Mac universe is:
All of Intego's programs are the result of teamwork; not only of a strong team of developers, but other employees involved in design, testing and the other tasks that are needed to bring software to market. We are working on a new project that goes beyond the Mac universe. Unfortunately, I can't say any more about this for the moment.
Anything else we should know?
It may surprise you, but we are hoping that the recent spate of malware on the Mac is not a sign of a broader trend of an increase in malware and security issues affecting the Mac. We keep users up to date on Mac security issues on our Mac Security Blog.
If you or someone you know belongs in the MacTech Spotlight, let us know! Send details to editorial@mactech.com
