If you watch your [stock price] every day, it's like going to the casino. If you play roulette, your money is going to go up heaps and down heaps. What's the point of that? Let's focus on what the company is like in five years.
Mike Cannon-Brookes was born in November 1979, the son of a global banking executive, also named Mike, and his wife, Helen. He was educated at Cranbrook School in Sydney, and graduated from the University of New South Wales with a bachelor's degree in information systems on a UNSW Co-op Scholarship.
With Scott Farquhar, Cannon-Brookes is the co-founder and co-CEO of Atlassian, a collaboration software company. He is also an adjunct professor at the University of New South Wales' School of Computer Science and Engineering. Cannon-Brookes and Farquhar were recognised as the Australian IT Professional of the Year award in 2004, and Australian 2006 Entrepreneur of the Year. Cannon-Brookes was also honoured by the World Economic Forum as a Young Global Leader in 2009 and is a member of The Forum of Young Global Leaders.
Alongside his Business partner, Farquhar, Cannon-Brookes debuted on the 2007 BRW Young Rich list of the richest Australians aged under 40; and on the BRW Rich 200 in 2013 with an estimated net worth of A$250 million. In 2016, his net worth was estimated by Forbes on the list of Australia's 50 richest people as US$1.69 bn; by BRW Rich 200 as A$2.00 bn; and by the Sunday Times Rich List as GB£906 million.
