The Story Britain’s Bill Gates, his sunken superyacht, and the bitter fight for £700 million
Nov 10, 2025
Katie Prescott, technology business editor at The Times, delves into the tragic saga of Mike Lynch, the tech billionaire whose life ended suddenly during a storm after his acquittal of fraud charges. She explores Lynch's impressive rise with Autonomy, his controversial leadership style, and the aftermath of his $11 billion sale to HP. With ongoing legal battles and a £700 million civil judgment looming over his estate, Prescott discusses Lynch's legacy and the potential implications for his widow and descendants.
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Celebration Turned Catastrophe
- Mike Lynch celebrated his acquittal on his yacht Bayesian with friends and family.
- A freak storm sank the yacht and killed Lynch, his daughter, and five others, ending the celebration in tragedy.
From Modest Roots To FTSE 100
- Mike Lynch built one of the UK few tech companies to reach the FTSE 100 and sold it for $11bn.
- His rise from a poor family to Cambridge and tech success made him a rare British tech titan.
Pioneering Unstructured Data Search
- Autonomy specialised in searching unstructured internal data like emails and voice messages.
- Its early machine-learning pattern recognition positioned it as a pioneering enterprise search company.
