Lesson plan

Avast

(left) and Pavel Baudiš (right) in 2016 with their spouses, who run the non-profit Avast Foundation for community development Avast Software s.r.o. is a subsidiary of Gen Digital. It is a Czech multinational cybersecurity software company headquartered in Prague, Czech Republic, that researches and develops computer security software, machine learning, and artificial intelligence. Avast had more than 435 million monthly active users and the second largest market share among anti-malware application vendors worldwide as of April 2020. As of 2025, parent company Gen Digital had approximately 4,000 employees worldwide. Avast was founded by Pavel Baudiš and Eduard Kučera in 1988 as a cooperative, initially known as Alwil Software. It later rebranded to Avast, and in July 2016, acquired competitor AVG Technologies. At the time, AVG was the third-ranked antivirus product. It was dual-listed on the Prague Stock Exchange and on the London Stock Exchange and was a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index until it was acquired by NortonLifeLock in September 2022. In July 2021, NortonLifeLock, an American cybersecurity company, announced that it was in talks to merge with Avast Software. In August 2021, Avast's board of directors agreed to an offer of US$8 billion. After the merger was completed in September 2022, the combined company became known as Gen Digital.…

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Article summary

(left) and Pavel Baudiš (right) in 2016 with their spouses, who run the non-profit Avast Foundation for community development Avast Software s.r.o. is a subsidiary of Gen Digital. It is a Czech multinational cybersecurity software company headquartered in Prague, Czech Republic, that researches and develops computer security software, machine learning, and artificial intelligence. Avast had more than 435 million monthly active users and the second largest market share among anti-malware application vendors worldwide as of April 2020. As of 2025, parent company Gen Digital had approximately 4,000 employees worldwide. Avast was founded by Pavel Baudiš and Eduard Kučera in 1988 as a cooperative, initially known as Alwil Software. It later rebranded to Avast, and in July 2016, acquired competitor AVG Technologies. At the time, AVG was the third-ranked antivirus product. It was dual-listed on the Prague Stock Exchange and on the London Stock Exchange and was a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index until it was acquired by NortonLifeLock in September 2022. In July 2021, NortonLifeLock, an American cybersecurity company, announced that it was in talks to merge with Avast Software. In August 2021, Avast's board of directors agreed to an offer of US$8 billion. After the merger was completed in September 2022, the combined company became known as Gen Digital.…

Key claims

  1. date of foundation: 1988 — source: Wikipedia · confidence 0.95
  2. date of foundation: 1988 — source: Wikipedia · confidence 0.95
  3. employees: 4,000 employees — source: Wikipedia · confidence 0.95
  4. employees: 350 employees — source: Wikipedia · confidence 0.95

Discussion questions

  1. Summarise the article in your own words. Which single claim would you verify first, and why?
  2. The record states that the date of foundation is "1988". What evidence would count against this claim?
  3. The record states that the date of foundation is "1988". What evidence would count against this claim?
  4. The record states that the employees is "4,000 employees". What evidence would count against this claim?
  5. The record states that the employees is "350 employees". What evidence would count against this claim?
  6. Which claim in this article is most likely to be revised as the sources update? How would you check its current status?
  7. If two sources disagreed about one of these facts, what would you need in order to trust one over the other?

Bibliography

  1. Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=1376628869

Key claims and bibliography are generated from the same tracked claims and sources as the article page.