Mike Cannon-Brookes and Scott Farquhar started Atlassian as two university friends with $10,000 in credit card debt. They went on to build a global software giant worth more than $100 billion — and become two of Australia’s richest people.

But behind the extraordinary success, their friendship was beginning to fracture.

Tech Bros authors and senior business journalists John Stensholt and Perry Williams join Sylvia Jeffreys to reveal what they uncovered about the relationship behind one of Australia’s greatest business success stories — from tensions inside Atlassian and a reported year in which the founders barely spoke, to a multimillion-dollar renovation dispute between their neighbouring Point Piper mansions.

In this episode:
How Cannon-Brookes and Farquhar built Atlassian from almost nothing
The Point Piper property dispute that exposed cracks in their friendship
What happened when tensions spilled into the workplace and why Farquhar ultimately stepped down as co-CEO
How Atlassian’s culture changed as the company grew
The impact of AI and 1,600 job cuts on Atlassian’s future
What their story teaches us about friendship, ambition and knowing when to walk away

Mike Cannon-Brookes and Scott Farquhar started Atlassian as two university friends with $10,000 in credit card debt. They went on to build a global software giant worth more than $100 billion &mdash; and become two of Australia&rsquo;s richest people.
But behind the extraordinary success, their friendship was beginning to fracture.
Tech Bros authors and senior business journalists John Stensholt and Perry Williams join Sylvia Jeffreys to reveal what they uncovered about the relationship behind one of Australia&rsquo;s greatest business success stories &mdash; from tensions inside Atlassian and a reported year in which the founders barely spoke, to a multimillion-dollar renovation dispute between their neighbouring Point Piper mansions.
In this episode:
<ul data-spread="false">
<li>How Cannon-Brookes and Farquhar built Atlassian from almost nothing</li>
<li>The Point Piper property dispute that exposed cracks in their friendship</li>
<li>What happened when tensions spilled into the workplace and why&nbsp;Farquhar ultimately stepped down as co-CEO</li>
<li>How Atlassian&rsquo;s culture changed as the company grew</li>
<li>The impact of AI and 1,600 job cuts on Atlassian&rsquo;s future</li>
<li>What their story teaches us about friendship, ambition and knowing when to walk away</li>
</ul>

Money is a constant contradiction. You’ve got to spend money to enjoy life but save every cent for the future. 

It’s why Australians are caught between impossible expectations and an economic system that feels stacked against them. So, how do you keep up the juggling act when the stakes just keep getting higher?

In The Pay Off Sylvia Jeffreys sits down with leading experts and entrepreneurs to uncover tips and tricks from some of the sharpest business minds in the game.

You can listen to The Pay Off wherever you get your podcasts, or you can watch every episode on 9Now, search 'The Pay Off 9Now Podcast'

Money is a constant contradiction. You&rsquo;ve got to spend money to enjoy life but save every cent for the future.&nbsp;
It&rsquo;s why Australians are caught between impossible expectations and an economic system that feels stacked against them.&nbsp;So, how do you keep up the juggling act when the stakes just keep getting higher?
In The Pay Off Sylvia Jeffreys sits down with leading experts and entrepreneurs to uncover tips and tricks from some of the sharpest business minds in the game.
You can listen to The Pay Off wherever you get your podcasts, or you can watch every episode on 9Now, search 'The Pay Off 9Now Podcast'

Sylvia Jeffreys sits down with leading experts and entrepreneurs to uncover tips and tricks from some of the sharpest business minds in the game.

The Pay Off with Sylvia Jeffreys

What Does $100B Do to a Friendship? Inside the Atlassian Story

SportsGrad founder Reuben Williams quit his own company — then figured out how to buy it back.

But that’s only part of his story.

Reuben has gone from landing his dream job at Cricket Australia, to redundancy, entrepreneurship and almost losing the business he built. He’s helped close to 850 people find jobs in sport, travelled the world chasing some of its biggest events, and rebuilt SportsGrad after a buyback deal left him under enormous financial pressure.

At the same time, Reuben spent six years navigating the legal system after taking a former colleague to court over a sexual assault. The experience led him to speak publicly about what happened and become an advocate for survivors.

Reuben joins Sylvia Jeffreys on The Pay Off for a wide-ranging conversation about ambition, resilience, work and what happens when life doesn’t follow the path you expected. In this episode:
The CV mistakes that could be holding jobseekers back
Why AI is changing the entry-level jobs market
What his experience taught him about the barriers facing sexual assault survivors
The four values shaping how he lives and works

SportsGrad founder Reuben Williams quit his own company &mdash; then figured out how to buy it back.
But that&rsquo;s only part of his story.
Reuben has gone from landing his dream job at Cricket Australia, to redundancy, entrepreneurship and almost losing the business he built. He&rsquo;s helped close to 850 people find jobs in sport, travelled the world chasing some of its biggest events, and rebuilt SportsGrad after a buyback deal left him under enormous financial pressure.
At the same time, Reuben spent six years navigating the legal system after taking a former colleague to court over a sexual assault. The experience led him to speak publicly about what happened and become an advocate for survivors.
Reuben joins Sylvia Jeffreys on&nbsp;The Pay Off for a wide-ranging conversation about ambition, resilience, work and what happens when life doesn&rsquo;t follow the path you expected. In this episode:
<ul>
<li>The CV mistakes that could be holding jobseekers back</li>
<li>Why AI is changing the entry-level jobs market</li>
<li>What his experience taught him about the barriers facing sexual assault survivors</li>
<li>The four values shaping how he lives and works</li>
</ul>

Reuben Williams Quit His Own Company. Then Bought It Back.

Phoebe Saintilan-Stocks has built her career around a question: who gets heard — and who gets a seat at the table?


After working inside Parliament House, she founded Missing Perspectives to give young women a bigger voice in media. What started as a Squarespace blog has grown into a global media platform, backed by major brands and amplified by the likes of Reese Witherspoon.

 
Now, her new book The Right Hand takes her inside another world of influence: the chiefs of staff behind some of the world’s most powerful leaders.
In this episode, Phoebe talks about:
Why working in Canberra changed the way she thought about power and representation
How a cold LinkedIn message helped launch Missing Perspectives
Why she turned down early investment — and later quit her job to go all-in
What traditional media gets wrong about reaching younger audiences
What the people closest to Tony Blair, Jacinda Ardern and Justin Trudeau revealed about leadership behind closed doors
The surprising role empathy, trust and difficult conversations play at the highest levels of power
Why sometimes the hardest part of building something is simply getting started

Phoebe Saintilan-Stocks has built her career around a question: who gets heard &mdash; and who gets a seat at the table?
 After working inside Parliament House, she founded Missing Perspectives to give young women a bigger voice in media. What started as a Squarespace blog has grown into a global media platform, backed by major brands and amplified by the likes of Reese Witherspoon.
&nbsp; Now, her new book The Right Hand takes her inside another world of influence: the chiefs of staff behind some of the world&rsquo;s most powerful leaders. In this episode, Phoebe talks about:
<ul>
<li>Why working in Canberra changed the way she thought about power and representation</li>
<li>How a cold LinkedIn message helped launch Missing Perspectives</li>
<li>Why she turned down early investment &mdash; and later quit her job to go all-in</li>
<li>What traditional media gets wrong about reaching younger audiences</li>
<li>What the people closest to Tony Blair, Jacinda Ardern and Justin Trudeau revealed about leadership behind closed doors</li>
<li>The surprising role empathy, trust and difficult conversations play at the highest levels of power</li>
<li>Why sometimes the hardest part of building something is simply getting started</li>
</ul>

Who Gets a Seat at the Table? Phoebe Saintilan-Stocks on Media and Power

Sundae Body sells a product every six seconds and is stocked in more than 10,000 stores across 14 countries. But behind the rapid growth of the colourful Australian beauty brand are some costly mistakes and hard-earned business lessons.

Lizzie Binks went from working in a call centre and receiving a school score of 59 to building one of Australia’s fastest-growing beauty brands. 

The Sundae Body co-founder joins The Pay Off to explain how Sundae went from an idea to shake up the body care aisle to an international success story — and the decisions that almost derailed it along the way.

Binks reveals how she launched into Woolworths and Priceline without a finished product, why the business took eight months to gain momentum and how a six-month cash-flow gap nearly broke the company.

She also shares what happened when Walmart approached her at a New York trade show, why Sundae eventually lost its US shelf space and how the mistake helped the brand succeed at Target.

Sundae Body is preparing for its next major step: A 36-product launch into Sephora in the Middle East.

Sundae Body sells a product every six seconds and is stocked in more than 10,000 stores across 14 countries. But behind the rapid growth of the colourful Australian beauty brand are some costly mistakes and hard-earned business lessons.
Lizzie Binks went from working in a call centre and receiving a school score of 59 to building one of Australia&rsquo;s fastest-growing beauty brands.&nbsp;
The Sundae Body co-founder joins The Pay Off to explain how Sundae went from an idea to shake up the body care aisle to an international success story &mdash; and the decisions that almost derailed it along the way.
Binks reveals how she launched into Woolworths and Priceline without a finished product, why the business took eight months to gain momentum and how a six-month cash-flow gap nearly broke the company.
She also shares what happened when Walmart approached her at a New York trade show, why Sundae eventually lost its US shelf space and how the mistake helped the brand succeed at Target.
Sundae Body is preparing for its next major step: A 36-product launch into Sephora in the Middle East.

What Does $100B Do to a Friendship? Inside the Atlassian Story

The Pay Off with Sylvia Jeffreys

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