"Trial Reveals Inside Story of Hewlett Packard Deal with Fallen British Tech Star"
The criminal trial in San Francisco federal court will revisit Hewlett Packard's disastrous $11 billion acquisition of British software maker Autonomy, which was intended to lift the company out of a slump but instead became a costly debacle. Former Autonomy CEO Mike Lynch and former vice president of finance Stephen Chamberlain are defending themselves against 16 felony counts of fraud and conspiracy, facing potential sentences of more than 20 years in federal prison if convicted. The trial is expected to shed light on the leadership of former HP CEO Meg Whitman, who hoped the Autonomy deal would revitalize the company but instead faced a massive write-off and accusations of criminal conduct.