The Curious Case of Mike Lynch: The Improbable Life & Death of a Tech Billionaire

Mike Lynch was a maverick outsider of British business. From humble beginnings, he rose to become one of the UK’s richest men, selling enterprise software company Autonomy to Hewlett-Packard for over £11bn in 2011, a sale which led to one of the biggest fraud cases in Silicon Valley history. After his acquittal in May 2024, Lynch (alongside his daughter and five others) tragically died when his super-yacht Bayesian sunk off the coast of northern Sicily 72 days later. His co-defendant, Stephen Chamberlain, was killed on the same day, hit by a car in Cambridge.

Drawing on extensive research and exclusive access to key sources, The Curious Case of Mike Lynch follows the billionaire's dramatic rise and fall, through to his unlikely and tragic death. It’s a thrilling story of money, power and deception, taking readers into a high-stakes world of corporate subterfuge and rivalries. Investigating one of the most fascinating men in the history of British business, Prescott reflects on Lynch’s legacy, outlining lessons from a truly unique life which serve as both a warning and inspiration.