Autonomy founder Lynch unveils website, continuing public war with HP

IDG News Service - Autonomy founder Mike Lynch has created a new website where he will apparently keep a running stockpile of his responses to Hewlett-Packard's allegations of accounting fraud at the vendor.

The site, which is located at AutonomyAccounts.org, includes among other things the open letter Lynch recently wrote to HP's board, in which he denounced HP's actions and demanded the company provide more documentation for its claims about Autonomy, which HP purchased last year for US$10.3 billion in a widely criticized deal.

Lynch's new site "is designed to be a public point of contact for Dr. Mike Lynch and other former managers at Autonomy with the wider world," according to a statement posted on the homepage. "It will contain information about Autonomy and any public statements made on behalf of the former management team related to these issues."

In November, HP said it would take an $8.8 billion write-down, with about $5 billion of it connected to the alleged fraud, which HP maintains had gone undetected despite the deal's extensive vetting by outside auditors.

Lynch's letter calls HP's allegations "non-specific but highly damaging." He has maintained no wrongdoing on the part of himself or other members of Autonomy's leadership.

Lynch, who was ousted from Autonomy in May, has questioned how auditors could have possibly missed improprieties amounting to $5 billion, as well as whether any of that sum should instead be attributed to HP's own mismanagement since the acquisition.

HP has referred the matter to regulatory authorities in the U.S. and U.K., and has said it also plans to seek redress against "various parties" in civil court.

Chris Kanaracus covers enterprise software and general technology breaking news for The IDG News Service. Chris' email address is Chris_Kanaracus@idg.com