Brit tech mogul Mike Lynch missing after yacht sinks off Sicily amid storms

Autonomy founder's wife rescued, daughter and others unaccounted for

Updated Mike Lynch, often dubbed the UK's answer to Bill Gates, is missing after his luxury yacht sank off the coast of Sicily this morning.

Lynch founded Autonomy, which Hewlett-Packard bought for $11 billion in 2011.

Multiple reports say the British entrepreneur cannot be found after the tycoon's Bayesian, a 56-metre superyacht, went down near Porticello in storms at around 5am local time.

It is understood Lynch's wife, Angela Bacares, was rescued while seven others remain missing, according to a statement from the City Council of Bagheria.

Lynch's daughter Hannah, 18, is said to be among those still unaccounted for.

Karsten Borner, the captain of a ship that rescued the survivors, told local news outlets that there was a "strong hurricane gust and we had to start the engine to keep the ship in an angled position."

In a statement, the City Council of Bagheria said: "At the request of the Command of the Carabinieri Station of Bagheria, several volunteer organizations are going to the site to provide assistance to the population.

"The firefighters' divers dove to reach the hull, which appears to be 49 meters deep about half a mile from the coast."

The Bayesian had mostly Brit nationals on board, including the Lynches, along with a New Zealander, a Sri Lankan citizen, two Anglo-French, and an Irishman, authorities said.

Seven of the 22 onboard were given first aid, and none of them are in a serious condition. Another seven were reported as being at the port, a child is in hospital, and seven more are missing, including Lynch.

In June, Lynch was acquitted of criminal fraud and conspiracy charges in the United States arising from the 2011 sale of Autonomy to HP. A federal court jury in San Francisco cleared Lynch of all 15 charges relating to allegation that he, along with Stephen Chamberlain, formerly VP of finance at Autonomy, unlawfully inflated the company's value prior to its acquisition. Chamberlain was also cleared of any wrongdoing at trial.

HP paid $11 billion for Autonomy, an enterprise search firm, but within a year wrote down the deal by $8.8 billion. Years of legal wrangling followed. HP shareholders sued in 2012. In 2015, HP sued Lynch and Sushovan Hussain, former Autonomy CFO, in the High Court of England and Wales. Lynch responded by filing a $150 million countersuit for defamation.

In 2022, HPE – which inherited the civil litigation after HP split into HPE and HP Inc – prevailed in that British civil case and is seeking $4 billion in damages from Hussain and Lynch.

While Lynch was cleared of criminal charges just months ago in the States, Hussain was sentenced to five years behind bars in the US for fraud in 2019 for his role in the Autonomy takeover. ®

Updated to add on August 19

Stephen Chamberlain – the Autonomy executive who was a co-defendant with Lynch in the US, and who was also acquitted – died today after being hit by a car on Saturday morning in Stretham, England. He was taken to hospital in a critical condition, and was placed on life support.

The Telegraph reports Chamberlain was out for a morning run when he was fatally injured.

According to Cambridgeshire police earlier today, a "blue Vauxhall Corsa was travelling between Stretham and Wicken on the A1123 when the collision with the pedestrian happened at about 10.10am on Saturday (17 August)."

"The man, who was in his 50s and from Longstanton, was taken to hospital with serious injuries," the plod said. "The driver of the car, a 49-year-old woman from Haddenham, remained at the scene and is assisting with enquiries."

Final update on August 21

Lynch and his teenage daughter have been found dead.