It was Mike Lynch’s attention to detail and love of James Bond that Glyn Powditch’s remembers most vividly about their first meeting at Cliveden country house.
Cliveden was famously where John Profumo, the then Secretary of State for War in Harold Macmillan’s government, had met 19-year-old model Christine Keeler, leading to one of the biggest scandals of the 1960s.
Fast forward three decades and Powditch, now co-founder of Dream Agility, had been invited to the luxurious Buckinghamshire retreat by Lynch’s business Autonomy, which he famously sold to Hewlett Packard for $11.1bn in 2018.
Powditch had followed Lynch’s career closer than most as he’d been a client of Autonomy’s from the early days, which had led him to be invited to Cliveden.
“It was an opulent setting famous for its role in the Profumo affair,” recalled Powditch.
“Around a cramped boardroom table in one of the estate’s cottages, I sat next to Lynch as he presented his futuristic vision.
“His presentation – almost psychedelic in nature – felt like a mix of War of the Worlds and Timothy Leary (the American psychologist and author known for his strong advocacy of psychedelic drugs).
“Lynch was narrating over mesmerising imagery. It was captivating, and we were all spellbound.
“The experience was unforgettable. From the chauffeur-driven Mercedes that brought us to Cliveden (even those from Ramsbottom!) to the impeccable service – complete with duvets being rolled back by staff – every detail felt straight out of a James Bond movie.
UK tech tycoon Mike Lynch feared dead after superyacht sinks in storm off Sicily
“We were even sent around a test track in Mercedes the following day, which, I’ll admit, left more than one guest feeling queasy.
“I’ve been fortunate enough to attend many tech events around the world, from Google in San Francisco to Las Vegas, but nothing quite compared to the experiences Lynch orchestrated at Autonomy.”
Powditch’s connection with Lynch’s companies continued through the cybersecurity company Darktrace, which he helped start
“I attended presentations on AI and cybersecurity at their offices,” he recalled. “Later, I was invited to a dinner hosted by Darktrace at the University of Cambridge, where Lynch completed his degree, PhD, and post-doctoral research.
“The evening was part of the UK Government’s Top 30 AI Scale-Up program and featured many of Lynch’s former Autonomy team. The drinks flowed into the pubs around campus well into the night.
“Once again, I was struck by the brilliance of what Lynch had built – another company with a strong vision, great culture, and a world-class team.”
Lynch is among six people missing after his superyacht – The Bayesian – sank in a storm off the coast of Sicily after reportedly being caught up in a waterspout – a tornado formed over water.
Powditch said he’s hoping for a miracle but said it’s particularly cruel that the tragedy should come just two months after he was cleared of fraud – and a potential 20 years behind bars – in a San Francisco trial over the 2011 sale of Autonomy to Hewlett-Packard.
“Lynch has been an inspiration to me for many years,” he said. “Yet, despite his extraordinary success, he has never received the same recognition as British business icons like Sir Richard Branson or Lord Sugar. Lynch’s name has rarely been mentioned in the mainstream, but his career has been nothing short of extraordinary.
“Mike Lynch has, without question, been the most successful British software entrepreneur of our time.
“Lynch built great companies with vision and culture that inspired so many, myself included. He’s a true pioneer and inspired many entrepreneurs to forge their own paths.
“It feels ironic that this should have happened during a trip that was meant to celebrate his acquittal from a charge that had cast a long shadow in recent years.
“Lynch – ever the survivor – seemed to have navigated those stormy waters. I hope his contributions to the world of technology will be fully recognised.”
According to reports from Sicily the wreckage of The Bayesian has been identified about 50 metres below the surface.