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On the Death of Mike Lynch, August 19, 2024
They say his blood was Irish, with his toothy Gaelic smile.
A master of the cyberworld, with features to beguile.
A genius of mathematics, powerful and strong.
He soon became a billionaire, it didn’t take him long.
But then, he ended up in court, a victim of the board
Of the Hewlett Packard company, accusing him of fraud.
They hounded him for ten long years, they wouldn’t let it lie,
But pummelled him with charges they could never justify.
So, sliding back to freedom, his emotions in a whirl,
To joyful exploration of the Oceans of the World,
His mighty yacht, Bayesian was moored at rest that night.
The tinkling sound of laughter far beneath the mast-head light.
But fearful of the warning on the radio that night,
The bold Palermo fishing fleet raced back to port in flight.
They scuttled back in earnest, safe behind the harbour wall,
In dread of wild tornadoes, gales, and sudden crashing squalls.
They never heard the warning, there was little time to shout,
Of the danger of the swirling, spinning evil waterspout.
The mighty waves came pouring in to deal the final blow,
That sent the bold Bayesian down to the depths below.
This genius with numbers now full thirty fathoms deep,
To dwell amongst the fishes in his long, eternal sleep.
This genius of calculation, never known to fail,
Was thwarted by the numbers, writ upon the Beaufort scale.
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Jeff Eardley lives in the heart of England near to the Peak District National Park and is a local musician playing guitar, mandolin and piano steeped in the music of America, including the likes of Ry Cooder, Paul Simon, and particularly Hank Williams.
A very well-written story in poem, Jeff. I like how you hi-light Mr. Lynch’s mathematical prowess in the opening stanza and refer to that same characteristic in the final (and terrific) couplet.
Thank you Cheryl. This is still a big story over here with so many unanswered questions. The Bayesian was supposed to be “unsinkable.” Now where have we heard that before? Best wishes to you.
A well written piece Jeff and I am glad you have written it; I have been thinking myself for a while to write about this incident and still may. It’s fascinating for many reasons, not least the hubristic nature of it: for running the numbers certainly didn’t help him, and even more curiously the CFO at the time of the HP incident was also killed in a car accident only a day or two earlier whilst out running! Members of his legal team and others involved were also on the boat when it went down: it’s like some Greek tragedy where the gods suddenly, decisively act and remove the human players. Quite, quite terrible – and terrifying! As you say, “This genius of calculation, never known to fail”, failed to calculate this.
thumbs up
Sorry BG, I replied with a “thumbs up” emoji that doesn’t seem to have landed!
James, thank you so much for your most observant comment. The story rumbles on. It had a mention on the news today in that Mike Lynch died of drowning, and not asphyxiation, as was first reported. This tragedy will live on for years as yet another nautical mystery. Best wishes to you.
Fascinating tale told in details unfamiliar to me, but which tragic conclusion is all too familiar.
Thanks Roy. I don’t this tragedy was reported in the US, but it is still an ongoing big story over here. The lives of several highly successful and wealthy people were snuffed out in a moment.
Jeff, you have a way with poetic words that delivers this shocking and intriguing news cleverly and creatively in a thoroughly engaging poem that reminds me of a quote by Ian Fleming: “Once is happenstance. Twice is coincidence. Three times is enemy action.” I happen to think twice is enemy action. Jeff, thank you!
Oh thank you Susan. This was, and indeed still is such a sad story. I read that Mr Lynch was under house arrest for a year in San Francisco, awaiting the verdict that he was convinced would incarcerate him for the rest of his life. There are many unanswered questions. Cheers to you and Mike.
Jeff, you may need to write a continuation, or fuller version of this narrative, after more is discovered about it. Or maybe James Sale will take up your sadly boisterous beginning!
It is good to have an early elegy on a celebrated entrepreneur who seems to have been hounded by powers that be. Now that Hewlett Packard, having failed to convict Lynch of fraud, still plans to claim civil damages of huge amounts from his estate, common sympathy is with him. May he rest in peace.
Your poem would be a tad clearer if you begin stanza 5 with “Lynch never heard the warning.” Beginning with “they,” the antecedent is the Sicilian fishermen who did hear the warning, and managed to reach safety.
Even though your final quatrain ends with the quirky joke about the Beaufort scale of wind speeds, it has the solemn tone of an archaic elegy, thanks to your choice of “fathom” and “thwarted” and “writ.” Well done!
Margaret, I take your point about stanza 5 that I did worry about. Just one word can make such a difference and I will amend the piece forthwith. This was a nautical tragedy of huge proportions that is still making the news over here. The idea of talking about civil reparations at this time is heartless and repellant. Thank you for taking the time to comment.