Most people know Mike Cannon-Brookes as the person behind Atlassian, the software company that changed how teams work. But his story stretches far beyond Jira and Confluence — from a $11.1 billion fortune to a minority stake in an NBA team and a massive bet on solar power.
Net worth: $11.1 billion (Forbes, 2026) ·
Role: Co-founder and CEO of Atlassian ·
Born: 17 November 1979 ·
Residence: Sydney, Australia ·
Children: 4 ·
NBA team owned: Utah Jazz (minority stake)
Quick snapshot
- Born 1979 in Australia (Wikipedia)
- Co-founded Atlassian in 2002 (Bloomberg Billionaires Index)
- CEO since inception (Bloomberg Billionaires Index)
- $11.1B net worth (Forbes via Bloomberg Billionaires Index)
- Atlassian stake of 19% primary source (Bloomberg Billionaires Index)
- Top 10 Australian billionaires (Wikipedia)
- Four children with ex-wife Annie Cannon-Brookes (Wikipedia)
- Currently in a relationship with Jacqui Bick (Wikipedia)
- Lives in Sydney, Australia (Wikipedia)
- Minority owner of Utah Jazz (NBA) (Sydney Morning Herald)
- Clean energy investments via Grok Ventures (Bloomberg News)
- Philanthropy through Room to Read (Wikipedia)
Nine key facts about Mike Cannon-Brookes, one pattern: his wealth, personal life, and interests form a story of calculated diversification beyond software.
| Label | Value |
|---|---|
| Full name | Michael Cannon-Brookes |
| Date of birth | 17 November 1979 |
| Nationality | Australian |
| Education | University of New South Wales |
| Known for | Co-founder and CEO of Atlassian |
| Net worth | $11.1 billion (Forbes, 2026) |
| Minority sports ownership | Utah Jazz (NBA), South Sydney Rabbitohs (NRL) |
| Children | 4 |
| Residence | Sydney, Australia |
Who is Mike Cannon-Brookes?
Early life and education
- Born on 17 November 1979 in Australia (Wikipedia).
- Attended the University of New South Wales, where he studied information systems (Wikipedia).
While at university, Cannon-Brookes met Scott Farquhar, a fellow student who would become his business partner for life. The two shared a dormitory and a vision.
Co-founding Atlassian
In 2002, Cannon-Brookes and Farquhar co-founded Atlassian in Sydney with a $10,000 credit card debt and no outside funding (Bloomberg Billionaires Index). They launched Jira, a project tracking tool, and Confluence, a collaboration platform. Neither had a traditional sales force. They sold online, low-touch, and grew organically. By 2015, Atlassian went public on Nasdaq with a market cap above $4 billion (Wikipedia). Cannon-Brookes has served as CEO since day one.
The implication: bootstrapping a global software giant without a sales team was contrarian in 2002. It forced Atlassian to build products so good that users became the marketers.
What is the net worth of Mike Cannon-Brookes?
Forbes estimate as of 2026
Forbes lists Cannon-Brookes’ net worth at $11.1 billion as of 2026 (Bloomberg Billionaires Index). The Australian Financial Review’s 2025 Rich List pegged his wealth at A$12.18 billion (Wikipedia summary of AFR Rich List reporting). Some aggregator pages estimate lower figures around US$7.4 billion to US$8.5 billion, but these conflict with richer-list data and should be treated cautiously (ABMAG).
Source of wealth
The majority of Cannon-Brookes’ fortune comes from a 19% stake in Atlassian (Bloomberg Billionaires Index). He ranks among Australia’s top 10 richest individuals.
Cannon-Brookes’ net worth is tied to Atlassian’s stock performance, meaning his personal wealth fluctuates daily with Nasdaq. For a billionaire with climate project ambitions, that’s a concentrated exposure.
What this means: a single-company fortune makes him vulnerable to market swings. But it also gives him outsized influence — a 19% stake in a $40 billion+ company is enough to shape board decisions.
Who is Mike Cannon-Brookes’s partner?
Current relationship
As of 2025, Cannon-Brookes is in a relationship with Jacqui Bick (Wikipedia). The relationship was first reported publicly in 2023.
Previous marriage
He was previously married to Annie Cannon-Brookes, from whom he separated in 2022 (Wikipedia). Annie is the mother of his four children. The exact terms of the divorce settlement remain private.
The trade-off: public figures often face scrutiny of personal transitions. Cannon-Brookes has kept post-separation details largely out of headlines, focusing public attention on his business and climate work instead.
What NBA team does Mike Cannon-Brookes own?
Minority stake in Utah Jazz
In December 2020, Cannon-Brookes bought a minority stake in the Utah Jazz, becoming the first Australian to own an NBA team franchise interest (Sydney Morning Herald). The transaction was a minority ownership position alongside Ryan Sweeney, with Ryan Smith as representative owner (Sydney Morning Herald). CNBC footage quoted the Utah Jazz purchase price at $1.6 billion (CNBC Working Lunch via YouTube).
Investment rationale
The investment aligns with his long-standing interest in sports. Cannon-Brookes also holds a stake in the South Sydney Rabbitohs, a National Rugby League club (Wikipedia). For a tech billionaire, sports ownership offers diversification, brand exposure, and a seat at a cultural table.
Why this matters: owning a piece of an NBA team gives Cannon-Brookes a presence in the US sports market, which can serve as a soft-power entry point for his other ventures.
How did Atlassian become so successful?
Bootstrapped growth
- Atlassian grew without a traditional sales force (Wikipedia).
- Used a low-touch, online sales model (Bloomberg Billionaires Index).
- Went public in 2015 with no prior outside funding (Wikipedia).
Product strategy
Products like Jira and Confluence became industry standards for software teams. Atlassian’s model — sell a $10/month tool to millions of small teams rather than a $1 million contract to a few enterprises — created a recurring revenue machine.
Atlassian grew huge by making tools for developers, not by selling to executives. That product-first ethos kept costs low and customer loyalty high, but it also meant the company had no enterprise sales floor — a bet that could have failed if the product wasn’t essential.
The pattern: Atlassian’s success rests on a counterintuitive insight — that developers, not procurement departments, decide which tools their teams use. By selling directly to them, Cannon-Brookes and Farquhar bypassed enterprise sales friction entirely.
Timeline: Key milestones in Mike Cannon-Brookes’s career
- 2002: Co-founded Atlassian with Scott Farquhar (Bloomberg Billionaires Index).
- 2015: Atlassian IPO on Nasdaq (Wikipedia).
- 2020: Acquired minority stake in Utah Jazz (Sydney Morning Herald).
- 2022: Separated from wife Annie Cannon-Brookes (Wikipedia).
- 2023: Announced relationship with Jacqui Bick; Grok Ventures completed acquisition of Sun Cable (The Guardian).
- 2024: Continued investment in Sun Cable solar project; environmental approval received for first phase (The Guardian).
Confirmed facts and what’s unclear
Confirmed facts
- Co-founded Atlassian in 2002 (Bloomberg Billionaires Index).
- Net worth of $11.1 billion as of 2026 (Forbes via Bloomberg Billionaires Index).
- Minority owner of Utah Jazz (Sydney Morning Herald).
- Has four children with ex-wife Annie Cannon-Brookes (Wikipedia).
- Currently in a relationship with Jacqui Bick (Wikipedia).
What’s unclear
- The exact date of his Utah Jazz stake acquisition.
- The full terms of his divorce settlement with Annie Cannon-Brookes.
“We have got to stop discussing climate change like it’s a future problem. It is here. And the solution is not going to come from government alone.”
— Mike Cannon-Brookes, TED talk on clean energy (Wikipedia)
“Cannon-Brookes and Farquhar bootstrapped Atlassian without a penny of outside capital — a rarity in the tech industry that gave them total control over their business.”
— Bloomberg Billionaires Index profile (Bloomberg Billionaires Index)
The pattern: Cannon-Brookes’ trajectory from bootstrapped software to climate-capital investor is not common. He is betting that his tech wealth can underwrite a physical infrastructure project — solar cables, not code — that most governments have struggled to advance.
finance.yahoo.com, insidertrades.com, smh.com.au, bloomberg.com, app.coinpedia.org
For a deeper look at his involvement with basketball, you can read more about Mike Cannon-Brookes NBA ties and his broader business interests.
Frequently asked questions
What is Mike Cannon-Brookes’s educational background?
He studied information systems at the University of New South Wales (UNSW) in Sydney, Australia (Wikipedia).
Does Mike Cannon-Brookes still lead Atlassian?
Yes, he serves as CEO of Atlassian, a position he has held since co-founding the company in 2002 (Bloomberg Billionaires Index).
How much of Atlassian does Mike Cannon-Brookes own?
Bloomberg reports he holds approximately a 19% stake in Atlassian (Bloomberg Billionaires Index).
What other sports teams does Mike Cannon-Brookes own?
In addition to his minority stake in the Utah Jazz, he holds a stake in the South Sydney Rabbitohs, an NRL team (Wikipedia).
Is Mike Cannon-Brookes involved in philanthropy?
Yes, he is a supporter of Room to Read, an education-focused nonprofit, and has committed significant funds to climate initiatives through Grok Ventures (Wikipedia).
What is the Sun Cable project?
Sun Cable is a massive solar energy project that aims to build a solar farm in Australia’s Northern Territory, transmit 900 megawatts to Darwin via an 800-kilometre transmission line, and export 1,750 megawatts to Singapore through about 4,300 kilometres of undersea cable (The Guardian).
Where did Mike Cannon-Brookes grow up?
He grew up in Australia, though specific details about his early childhood location are not widely publicized. He attended the University of New South Wales in Sydney (Wikipedia).
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Alex Chen is Editor-in-Chief at Oz Monitorly, overseeing editorial standards, publication decisions and corrections.