Tech bros, or broken? Farquhar and Cannon-Brookes face greatest test

This ton of deaf, including Atlassian, summarizes a subject that has long been affecting the technology sector. The founders with big personalities and larger egos are generally responsible – Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg, Richard White – and the company culture are determined by them. These personalities can sometimes overshadow the real work of the company and leave a company vulnerable if they are separated by discussions or feeding.

When I ask Farquuhar about Tech’s “Key Man Risk” problem, an unexpected analogy deploys. Taylor Swift.

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I If you buy Taylor Swift or other megastars in their field, it has a huge impact, or he says to me.

Orum I don’t think we should say that we need to sing less than Taylor Swift’s songs. And I don’t think we should water the brightness of many technology founders.

“But as a company grows, I think you should look at the successor of success in all roles and all levels from a company’s perspective and make sure you are resistant to things that may go wrong.”

They were all told, nothing wrong in Atlassian. Historically, Cannon-Brookes and Farquhar are unique in Australia because they built, the global company of 75 billion dollars was initiated by several NERDY university students using credit card debt.

For all mistakes and flaws, the common CEO model has largely worked. During the time they spent as a common CEOS, Farquuhar and Cannon-Brookes spoke less than each other less than one and socialized.

Very different people from many different pasts: Cannon-Brookes, the son of a rich Citibank ruler, and Farquuhar, meanwhile, cried to sleep as a child some nights because his parents could not welcome the computer.

Cannon-Brookes is animated, dense and prickly, Farquhar thoughtful, stagnant and generous. This is a great reason for the couple to drive as long as they did – even if they bought adjacent multimillion -dollar piper estates, they usually remained on their way.

Now, the real test comes for both men.

Cannon-Brookes is trying to arrest Atlassian’s falling valuation: compared to the US NASDAQ, whose shares increased by 10 percent in the same period, has decreased by 20 percent to date. In addition, thousands of users and customers have to keep a 20 -year -old company innovative without alienating the process (a software update last month was defined by a customer as “the worst of undisputed technology”).

All of these balance the out-of-class interests in increasing perceptions that energy, NBA, Formula 1 and lifestyle now contradict the echo-warrior personality. Especially special jet was lined up.

For Farquuhar, the real audience will not be about a hundred people in the Press Club in Canberra on Wednesday. Other members of this month’s efficiency round table tale – people like Matt Comyn, Ken Henry and Sally Mcmanus – with members of the federal government who should convince Farquuhar’s ideas.

He wants Australia to be the preferred data center location for Southeast Asia and to remove the Federal government’s regulatory obstacles and new ways of working.

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Farquuhar may be prejudiced, but he is right that Australia will need more data centers, more students’ technology career, and more intelligence – artificial and otherwise – if not behind.

Australia punches over its weight in Sport and Hollywood, but it remains embarrassing when it comes to technology. Farquuhar will not be longer longer if he can overcome the line.

He knows that the country’s culture will be a war uphill when the words of taking risks and towards entrepreneurship, especially when the words “technology brother” become very toxic.

But he will still do it.

And don’t be surprised if the billionaire returns to establish another technology company after lobbying for a wider industry.

“Never say never say,” he says, smiling.

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