Autonomy Founder Mike Lynch Moving Forward. HP, Well, Sort Of
October 31, 2014
It is Friday. Over the last few months, Hewlett Packard has groused about its decision to purchase Hewlett Packard. Let’s see. The deal took place three years ago.
In that span of time, Hewlett Packard has decided that the idea to sell its printer ink business was a pretty good one after all. Oh, there have been layoffs, reorganizations, and legal maneuvers to deal with shareholders who are asking questions about HP’s management. And HP is going to break itself in two parts. Good investment bank thinking. Customers may not be able to share in the juicy fees this maneuver will product. Well, that’s life in slick, sophisticated Silicon Valley.
Oh, one point.
Dr. Michael Lynch has established an investment firm, received a number of honors from UK outfits that most Silicon Valley top dogs would love to get their paws on, and has spent time with the Queen. Americans fawn over the Royals, and Dr. Lynch has lunch with the Queen.
The two trajectories could not be more different, an important point that the Wall Street Journal does not emphasize in “How Autonomy’s Mike Lynch Reinvented Himself.” (If the link is dead, don’t blame me. Buy the newspaper and read the story.) To be fair, the article does a good job of tracking Dr. Lynch through time.
One passage I highlighted was:
Mr. Lynch said “serious, intelligent investors” shouldn’t have a problem investing with him. But scrutiny of the H-P deal has tarnished his reputation in Silicon Valley. “I would definitely do an extra level of diligence,” said Venky Ganesan, managing director at California venture-capital firm Menlo Ventures.
One cannot allow Dr. Lynch to escape from the write up without some doubt cast on him. What I liked was “a venture capital firm Menlo Ventures.” I wonder if that financial maven’s tune would change if he were involved with Dr. Lynch’s new ventures.
Unlike HP, his businesses appear to be moving forward without the sturm und drang that has accompanied dear, ageing HP in the last 36 months. I am waiting to learn more about HP’s attempt to sell some of its business in China. The article, as I noted, remains silent on HP’s business trajectory.
Stephen E Arnold, October 31, 2014
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