Scott Farquhar built his fortune by co-founding Atlassian and helping turn a credit-card-financed startup into a large global software company without relying on early venture capital. [1][2]
A low-cost route to global software scale
Atlassian says Farquhar and Cannon-Brookes met through a University of New South Wales scholarship course and built the company from a credit-card-funded start. Jira launched in 2002, and the founders emphasized online sales and product investment rather than a large traditional sales organization. [1]
Forbes describes Farquhar's family circumstances as much more modest than his co-founder's. His mother worked jobs including Target and McDonald's, his father worked at a service station, and Farquhar reached university through the same competitive scholarship program where he met Cannon-Brookes. [2]
That record supports a fortune created through founder ownership and operating work rather than inherited wealth. His upbringing was modest, but the reviewed evidence does not establish the severe deprivation or exclusion required for the top score, so the ordinary primarily self-created anchor fits best. [1][2]
Atlassian's total market value is not Farquhar's personal fortune. His wealth depends on the ownership interest actually attributable to him, which means the public company's capitalization cannot be treated as though it were directly owned by a single founder. [1][2]
Sources for background
Sources reviewed Sep 15, 2026.
- About Us · Atlassian
- The Wizards From Oz: How Two Aussies Made Billions Quietly Powering SpaceX, Airbnb And NASA · Forbes · May 16, 2017
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