Mike Lynch: Tributes paid to 'UK's greatest tech entrepreneur'

BBC ^ | Aug 22 | Tom Gerken

[RandFan]

Friends and colleagues of Mike Lynch have paid tribute to him, with the death of the tech tycoon in a luxury yacht sinking off the coast of Sicily being described as an "irreplaceable loss".

The British businessman, 59, was among those killed when the Bayesian yacht foundered in stormy weather early on Monday.

The bodies of four others have been recovered, and a sixth person - believed to be Mr Lynch's daughter Hannah, 18, is still missing.

Mr Lynch was a prominent figure in the UK tech industry, where his backing of successful companies led to him being dubbed the British equivalent of Microsoft founder Bill Gates.

However, he later became embroiled in a long-running legal dispute which resulted in him being controversially extradited to the US, before being acquitted earlier this summer.

Andrew Kanter, a close friend and colleague of Mr Lynch, said he was “the most brilliant mind and caring person I have ever known.”

“Over nearly a quarter century I had the privilege of working beside someone unrivalled in their understanding of technology and business,” he said.

Former Sun newspaper editor David Yelland said Mr Lynch was "an irreplaceable loss not only to those that loved him but also to the country".

"He is the UK's greatest tech entrepreneur of recent decades, a family man, a long-time client of my business and a friend," he said.

"To think Mike Lynch lost his life just as he began to rebuild it is devastating for all those that know him."

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[RandFan]

One thing that troubles me was the write down of his company after HP paid several billions for it. It was huge.

[ridesthemiles]

UNDER MARITIME RULES-—CAN WHOEVER SALVAGES THAT YACHT KEEP IT???

[Flatus I. Maximus]

Are they sure it's him? Not a body double? Are they absolutely certain he didn't fake his own death to get out of all his legal troubles?

I mean, Ian Fleming or Tom Clancy could have gotten a bestselling novel out of this. Maybe even a movie deal.