Before monetization through bitcoin was easy, viruses were usually made and released just because you could. To experiment and see how far it could spread. And maybe just to wreak havoc and troll people.

https://techgaming.pk/2015/09/07/the-most-dangerous-mac-viru...

> This virus first appeared in 1988 on earlier versions of Mac OS. Initially, the program displayed a message about Michael Dukakis (Democratic presidential candidate):

> I was created by mischievous 14 year old, and am completely harmless. Dukakis for president in ’88.

It got filtered by cellphone companies

To flatten its curve.