Mike Lynch, former chief executive officer at Hewlett-Packard Co.’s Autonomy unit, speaking at a conference on Thursday, April 25, 2013.
Bloomberg | Bloomberg | Getty Images
LONDON — The body of British technology entrepreneur Mike Lynch, 59, has been retrieved from the wreckage of a yacht that sank off the coast of Sicily, a source accustomed to the matter told CNBC on Thursday, confirming earlier reporting by Sky News.
Lynch’s daughter, Hannah, stays unaccounted for, in line with the source, who asked to not be identified because of the sensitive nature of the situation. Sky News earlier reported that five bodies pulled from the wreck had been identified by the Italian coast guard, and that Lynch was among the many dead.
Lynch, who was reported missing Monday, was considered one of 22 passengers aboard the Bayesian superyacht, which capsized while anchored within the small fishing village of Porticello, within the province of Palermo in Italy.
On Wednesday, Salvatore Cocina, head of the civil protection agency in Sicily, confirmed to NBC News that five bodies had been recovered from the wreckage of the yacht. The one person confirmed dead by authorities to this point has been Recaldo Thomas, a Canadian-Antiguan chef.
CNBC has contacted the Italian coast guard and is awaiting a response.
Lynch was founding father of enterprise software firm Autonomy. He became the goal of a protracted legal battle with Hewlett Packard after the firm accused Lynch of inflating Autonomy’s value in an $11.7 billion sale. HP took an $8.8 billion write-down on the worth of the corporate inside a 12 months of shopping for it.
Lynch was acquitted in June of fraud charges in a surprise victory in U.S. court following a trial that lasted for 3 months. He had faced charges of wire fraud and conspiracy for allegedly scheming to inflate Autonomy’s revenue. Lynch denied wrongdoing and told jurors HP botched Autonomy’s integration.
Lynch was also founding father of Invoke Capital, a enterprise capital firm endorsing European tech startups. He became a key voice supporting the U.K. technology industry, backing key names like cybersecurity firm Darktrace and legal tech firm Luminance.
Tributes were paid to Lynch following news of his death.
Russ Shaw, founding father of technology industry groups Tech London Advocates and Global Tech Advocates, said Lynch “leaves a legacy as considered one of the good modern British tech entrepreneurs.”
“His ability to know how tech can solve big challenges, after which successfully commercialise it was truly unique” Shaw said in an announcement emailed to CNBC. “Mike will rightly be remembered for his work in nurturing a few of Britain’s great tech firms, including Darktrace, Luminance and Sophia Genetics.”
The Royal Academy of Engineering, which made Lynch a fellow in 2008, said its trustee board, fellows and staff are “deeply saddened” to learn of his death and “send our profound condolences to his family.”
“We’ve fond memories of the energetic role he played [as a fellow] previously, as a mentor, donor and former Council member. He was also considered one of the inaugural members on the Enterprise Committee,” the academy said on the social media platform X. “Our thoughts are along with his family and friends right now.”
Lord John Browne, former CEO of energy firm BP, said in a post on X that Lynch “needs to be remembered as the one who catalysed a breed of deep tech entrepreneurs within the U.K. His ideas and his personal vision were a robust contribution to science and technology in each Britain and globally.”
