Mike Lynch, a prominent UK software entrepreneur, is among those missing after the sinking of a superyacht off Sicily’s coast.
Lynch, known for founding the global tech company Autonomy, had been aboard the 56-meter luxury yacht, The Bayesian, when a sudden storm hit.
The yacht had been anchored off Porticello, near Palermo, when the storm swept through, devastating the area. Lynch’s wife was among 15 people rescued, but six others, including their 18-year-old daughter, remain missing.
Lynch’s story is one of remarkable success and controversy. After studying at Cambridge and pioneering early tech startups, he founded Autonomy in 1996, a company that quickly became a leader in data analysis software. Autonomy’s success led to its $11.1 billion acquisition by Hewlett-Packard (HP) in 2011.
However, the deal soon turned sour, with HP accusing Lynch’s company of accounting improprieties, resulting in an $8.8 billion writedown and a series of legal battles.
Lynch has consistently denied wrongdoing, and despite losing a civil fraud case in the UK, he was recently acquitted of fraud charges in the US.
Outside of his professional life, Lynch is known for his love of model railways and koi carp breeding. He was a science adviser to former Prime Minister David Cameron and served as a non-executive director at the BBC.
Lynch and his wife, who was rescued from the yacht, were listed as being worth £500 million in the Sunday Times Rich List. His disappearance, along with that of his daughter and others, has left many in shock as search efforts continue.
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