EXCLUSIVE Family and friends of tycoon feared missing on sunken superyacht get good news Entrepreneur Scott Painter said he was not on board Mike Lynch's superyacht He called the Lynch a 'legend' and the incident a 'tragedy' READ MORE: Brit tycoon and 18-year old daughter among feared dead By Marjorie Hernandez West Coast News Editor For Dailymail.Com Published: 02:23 BST, 20 August 2024 | Updated: 02:28 BST, 20 August 2024 e-mail View comments A US entrepreneur who took over Mike Lynch's 'Autonomy' brand said he received panicked calls from friends and family who feared he might've been on board the tech boss' superyacht that sank off the coast of Sicily. Scott Painter confirmed he was not on board the Bayesian luxury yacht, which authorities say sank just before 5am Monday because of a freak waterspout.
The vessel was anchored off the coast of Porticello, a small fishing village located in the province of Palermo in Italy , when it 'suddenly sank' most likely 'due to terrible weather conditions, according a statement released by the City Council of Bagheria. Painter, CEO if the largest EV subscription business in the US operating under the Autonomy brand, said he was shocked and saddened by the news of Lynch's disappearance. Lynch, who is one of the UK's richest men and worth an estimated £852million, remains unaccounted for, along with his 18-year-old daughter.
Tech entrepreneur Mike Lynch, who was often referred to as the 'British Bill Gates', was on holiday with family .