Sicily superyacht tragedy: 'UK's Bill Gates' Mike Lynch is missing. Who is he?

A luxury yacht was hit by a tornado and sank off the coast of Sicily early Monday. Twenty-two people were on board, of which one is confirmed dead. Fifteen people were rescued, with the rest still missing. The yacht was also ferrying British tech entrepreneur Mike Lynch and is among those missing. Reports say that his daughter was also on the 56m superyacht called Bayesian. CNN reported, quoting a source, that Lynch’s wife Angela Bacares was rescued. Eight of those rescued are being treated at a hospital.

Mike Lynch, UK's 'Bill Gates'

Lynch is an extremely popular business tycoon who was once touted as the UK's answer to Microsoft founder Bill Gates. He founded the British tech firm Autonomy in 1996 and is also behind many other successful tech firms. His wealth is largely because of the sale he made to US computing giant Hewlett-Packard (HP). He sold his company Autonomy to HP for $11bn in 2011.

But the high-profile acquisition landed Lynch into controversy and he was mired in a legal battle for over a decade. He was facing two decades in jail on multiple fraud charges but was acquitted in the US. In 2018, US prosecutors charged him for artificially inflating the company's value.

They accused him of concealing the firm's loss-making business and of intimidating or paying off people who raised concerns. In an interview with BBC, he admitted that he was able to prove his innocence because of his wealth. "You shouldn't need to have funds to protect yourself as a British citizen," he said.

Mike Lynch early years

Lynch was born on June 16, 1965. His mother was a nurse while his dad was a fireman. He studied Natural Sciences at the University of Cambridge before earning a PhD in mathematical computing and later a research fellowship. He used this research to enter the tech world and to start Autonomy.

But before Autonomy, he established Cambridge Neurodynamics, a firm specialising in the use of computer-based detection and recognition of fingerprints. In 1996, Autonomy came into existence and had a statistical method known as "Bayesian inference" at the core of its software.

Its unique ability fascinated the tech world. The software could extract certain information from data such as phone calls, emails and videos. Based on the data, call-centre operators were suggested answers. It also monitored TV channels for words or subjects.

The company saw rapid growth, landing a bunch of awards and recognition for him. In 2011, he was appointed to the government's Council for Science and Technology. As part of it, he advised then prime minister David Cameron on AI development.

He later established the tech investment firm Invoke Capital, which invested in the creation of British cyber security company Darktrace in 2013. He was on the board of the company till early this year.

(With inputs from agencies)