British tech tycoon Mike Lynch smiles for the camera.
Mike Lynch in London in 2019.
  • Tech tycoon Mike Lynch is dead after a superyacht disaster near Sicily.
  • Lynch sold Autonomy to HP for more than $11 billion in 2011, sparking years of legal disputes.
  • Take a look at Lynch's colorful life as "Britain's Bill Gates."

Technology tycoon Mike Lynch has been found dead after a superyacht disaster off the coast of Sicily, multiple news outlets reported Thursday, citing Italian authorities.

Lynch, who was 59, became a British success story after selling his software startup Autonomy to HP for more than $11 billion in 2011.

But HP soon accused Autonomy's bosses of fraudulently inflating the company's revenues to boost the acquisition price, sparking a 12-year legal battle for Lynch.