Mike Cannon-Brookes

Michael Cannon-Brookes
Michael Cannon-Brookes
Born	November 17, 1979 (age 46); Connecticut, USA
Occupation(s)	Entrepreneur, CEO
Years active	2000–present
Known for	Co-founder and CEO of Atlassian

Michael Cannon-Brookes (born 17 November 1979) is an Australian entrepreneur and the co-founder and chief executive officer of the software firm Atlassian.

Since 2018, he has played a significant role in the Australia-Asia Power Link, a substantial electricity infrastructure initiative in the Northern Territory developed by Sun Cable in collaboration with businessman Twiggy Forrest.

Early life and education

Born in Connecticut, USA, Michael Cannon-Brookes is the youngest of three children of a global banking executive. His family relocated to Taiwan when he was six months old and then moved to Hong Kong when he was three years old. He later attended boarding school in England. He completed his secondary education at Cranbrook School and earned a bachelor's degree in information systems from the University of New South Wales through a UNSW co-op scholarship.

Career

Prior to establishing Atlassian, Cannon-Brookes co-created an internet bookmarking service called The Bookmark Box alongside university peer Niki Scevak. The Bookmark Box was acquired by Blink.com in 2000.

Cannon-Brookes co-founded Atlassian, a company specializing in collaboration software, where he currently holds the position of CEO. Along with Scott Farquhar, he launched the business in 2002 shortly after completing their studies, financing it initially through personal credit cards. Their objective was to generate a typical graduate income without working under an employer.

Their inaugural flagship product was Jira, a tool designed for issue and project tracking. Instead of employing a traditional sales team, they prioritized product development and provided cost-effective pricing directly via their website. By 2016, Atlassian continued to operate without a conventional sales force, emphasizing research and innovation.

In 2005, Atlassian established its first U.S. office in New York before relocating it to San Francisco to tap into a broader pool of technical talent.

The company’s initial external investment came from a $60 million funding round led by Accel in 2010. In 2014, Atlassian re-registered as a UK company ahead of its initial public offering (IPO). The firm went public on the Nasdaq stock exchange in December 2015 with a valuation of $4.37 billion, making Cannon-Brookes and Farquhar the first Australian tech startup founders to become billionaires.

In 2022, Atlassian shifted its corporate domicile to the United States. Since September 2024, Cannon-Brookes has been the sole CEO following Farquhar’s departure from the role. As of 2024, Cannon-Brookes holds roughly 20% ownership of Atlassian through shares that carry super-voting rights.

Other activities

In 2016, Cannon-Brookes launched Grok Ventures as his family office, concentrating on investments in environmentally sustainable projects. In October 2021, he committed $1.5 billion by 2030 towards climate initiatives aligned with COP26’s target to limit global warming to 1.5°C. Additionally, he founded the climate-focused fund Boundless Earth in 2022.

He holds an adjunct professorship at the University of New South Wales’ School of Computer Science and Engineering and chairs Blackbird Ventures, a venture capital firm.

In 2020, Cannon-Brookes was included on a Chinese government database listing approximately 35,000 notable Australians.

Together with billionaire Andrew Forrest, Cannon-Brookes invested in Sun Cable in March 2022—a major solar and battery farm project located in the Northern Territory with plans for an electricity link to Singapore. After internal disputes led Sun Cable into administration in January 2023, Grok Ventures acquired the company in May 2023.

In 2022, Cannon-Brookes became AGL Energy’s largest shareholder; AGL is Australia’s leading greenhouse gas emitter. His involvement has driven the company towards adopting more ambitious climate policies by influencing board decisions favoring accelerated decarbonization efforts.

Sports

In December 2020, Cannon-Brookes, together with Qualtrics co-founder Ryan Smith, acquired a minority ownership stake in the NBA team Utah Jazz. Later, in November 2021, he secured a one-third interest in Blackcourt League Investments, the entity holding a 75% controlling share of the Australian Rugby League franchise, the South Sydney Rabbitohs.

Personal life

Cannon-Brookes tied the knot with American fashion designer Annie Todd in 2010; the couple has four children. Their initial meeting occurred in a Qantas lounge during a flight from Sydney to San Francisco. They resided in Centennial Park within Sydney's eastern suburbs. In 2018, they purchased Fairwater, recognized as Australia's priciest residence, for around 100 million AUD, located adjacent to Scott Farquhar's 71 million AUD waterfront estate. Additionally, he acquired the heritage-listed Verona property in Double Bay for 17 million AUD and previously bought the SeaDragon house for 7.05 million AUD. His home in Centennial Park was sold for 16.5 million AUD. In 2019, he expanded his property holdings by purchasing another nearby estate for 12 million AUD. Cannon-Brookes also owns a Bombardier Global 7500 private jet. He and Todd separated in July 2023.

Recognition

Alongside Farquhar, Cannon-Brookes received the prestigious Entrepreneur of the Year award from Ernst & Young in Australia in 2006. He is also affiliated with The Forum of Young Global Leaders and earned recognition as a "Time100 climate person" in 2023.

Net worth

In 2016, Forbes ranked Cannon-Brookes and his spouse among Australia's top 50 wealthiest individuals with an estimated net worth of 1.69 billion AUD; simultaneously, the BRW Rich 200 valued them at 2.00 billion AUD, while the Sunday Times Rich List estimated their wealth at 906 million GBP. After their separation, the Australian Financial Review recorded his net worth at 12.18 billion AUD on the 2025 Rich List. Prior to their split in 2021, their combined net worth was appraised at 13.7 billion USD by Forbes and at 11.2 billion USD according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index.

Year	BRW Rich 200		Forbes Australia's 50 Richest		Sunday Times Rich List
Rank	Net worth (Template:AUD)	Rank	Net worth (Template:USD)	Rank	Net worth (Template:GBP)
2013	Template:Nts Increase	$0.25 billion Increase	n/a	not listed
2014	Template:Nts Increase	$1.07 billion Increase	n/a	not listed
2015	Template:Nts Decrease	$1.14 billion Increase	Template:Nts Increase	$1.10 billion Increase
2016	Template:Nts Template:Gain	$2.00 billion Template:Gain	Template:Nts Increase	$1.69 billion Template:Gain		£906 million Template:Gain
2017	Template:Nts Increase	$2.51 billion Increase	Template:Nts Increase	$3.40 billion Increase
2018	Template:Nts Increase	$5.16 billion Increase	Template:Nts Increase
2019	Template:Nts Increase	$9.63 billion Increase	Template:Nts Steady	$6.40 billion Increase
2020	Template:Nts Template:Gain	$16.93 billion Template:Gain
2021	Template:Nts Template:Up	$20.18 billion Template:Up
2022	Template:Nts Steady	$27.80 billion Template:Up
2023	Template:Nts Decrease	$19.01 billion Decrease
2024	Template:Nts Template:Up	$24.38 billion Template:Up
2025	Template:Nts Decrease	$12.18 billion Decrease

Legend

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Notes

Prior to 2025, net worth figures were combined with Annie Cannon-Brookes.

External links