Atlassian Bundle
Who Owns Atlassian Corporation Plc?
Understanding a company's ownership is key to grasping its strategic direction and market influence. Atlassian Corporation Plc, a prominent software company, transitioned to public ownership through its IPO on December 10, 2015. This move significantly reshaped its stakeholder landscape.
Founded in 2002 by Mike Cannon-Brookes and Scott Farquhar, Atlassian, with over 13,813 employees in 2025, serves more than 300,000 customers globally. The company reported a substantial revenue of $5.22 billion for fiscal year 2025, underscoring its market strength.
The ownership of Atlassian Corporation Plc is primarily held by its co-founders, Mike Cannon-Brookes and Scott Farquhar, who together control a significant majority of the voting power through a dual-class share structure. This structure allows them to maintain substantial influence over the company's strategic decisions and long-term vision, even as a publicly traded entity. Institutional investors also hold considerable stakes, reflecting broad market confidence in Atlassian's business model and growth prospects. For a deeper dive into the external factors influencing the company, consider an Atlassian PESTEL Analysis.
Who Founded Atlassian?
Atlassian was established in 2002 by Mike Cannon-Brookes and Scott Farquhar, who met at the University of New South Wales. They bootstrapped the company with $10,000, initially focusing on customer service support before developing their flagship product, Jira. This early venture laid the groundwork for their future success in team collaboration software.
| Founder | Co-Founder |
|---|---|
| Mike Cannon-Brookes | Scott Farquhar |
The company was bootstrapped with an initial capital of $10,000, financed through credit card debt.
Early efforts concentrated on providing support to customer service teams.
The development of Jira, a project and issue tracking tool, was a pivotal moment.
Confluence, a team collaboration platform, was launched in 2004, expanding their product suite.
In July 2010, the company secured $60 million in venture capital from Accel Partners.
The founders committed to the Pledge 1% initiative, transferring over 1% of their equity to the Atlassian Foundation before external funding.
The initial ownership structure of the company saw Mike Cannon-Brookes and Scott Farquhar as the principal shareholders, retaining substantial control. Their commitment to social responsibility was evident early on through their participation in the Pledge 1% initiative. In 2010, prior to receiving external investment, they transferred more than 1% of their personal equity to the Atlassian Foundation. This strategic move ensured that social impact was integrated into the company's core from its inception, without affecting future investors. This foundational approach to ownership and social impact is a key aspect of understanding Atlassian's company ownership history.
Mike Cannon-Brookes and Scott Farquhar, the co-founders, maintained significant control over the company in its early stages. Their entrepreneurial spirit drove the company's growth from a bootstrapped startup to a major software provider.
- Founders: Mike Cannon-Brookes and Scott Farquhar
- Initial Capital: $10,000
- First External Investment: $60 million from Accel Partners in July 2010
- Social Commitment: Pledge 1% initiative
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How Has Atlassian’s Ownership Changed Over Time?
Atlassian's journey to becoming a publicly traded entity marked a significant shift in its ownership landscape. The company's initial public offering (IPO) on December 10, 2015, on the NASDAQ Global Select Market under the ticker 'TEAM', set the stage for a broader distribution of its stock.
| Event | Date | Impact on Ownership |
| IPO | December 10, 2015 | Transitioned from private to public ownership, allowing broader investor participation. |
| Dual-Class Share Structure Implementation | Pre-IPO | Established a framework where founders retain significant voting control. |
| Institutional Investor Influx | Ongoing, significant increase by March 2025 | Institutions now hold a dominant percentage of economic ownership. |
A key aspect of Atlassian's atlassian company ownership structure is its dual-class share system, comprising Class A and Class B ordinary shares. This structure is designed to concentrate voting power, with Class B shares carrying ten votes each compared to Class A shares' single vote. This mechanism ensures that the co-founders, Mike Cannon-Brookes and Scott Farquhar, maintain substantial influence over the company's strategic direction and governance.
Understanding who owns Atlassian involves recognizing the roles of both its founders and a significant base of institutional investors.
- Atlassian Founders: Mike Cannon-Brookes and Scott Farquhar hold considerable voting power through Class B shares.
- Institutional Investors: Firms like Vanguard Group Inc, BlackRock, Inc., Baillie Gifford & Co, and T. Rowe Price Associates, Inc. collectively own a large percentage of the company's economic stake.
- Public Shareholders: As of March 2025, institutional investors accounted for 94% of Atlassian's shares, indicating a broad public float.
- Voting Control: As of June 6, 2025, the co-founders collectively retain 38% of the voting control, a testament to the dual-class share structure's effectiveness.
The evolution of atlassian stock ownership shows a clear trend towards institutional dominance in economic terms, while the founders have strategically maintained significant voting influence. This balance is crucial for understanding the company's decision-making processes and its long-term vision, as detailed in discussions about the Mission, Vision & Core Values of Atlassian. Previously, in May 2024, the founders' voting power was even more pronounced, controlling 87.92% of the total voting power by holding 99.45% of Class B shares.
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Who Sits on Atlassian’s Board?
The board of directors at Atlassian Corporation Plc is currently chaired by Shona L. Brown, who has held this position since April 2018. The board composition includes the company's co-founders, representatives from significant shareholders, and independent directors, ensuring a diverse range of perspectives in governance.
| Director Name | Role | Start Date | End Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shona L. Brown | Chair of the Board | April 2018 | Current |
| Mike Cannon-Brookes | Co-founder, CEO | October 2002 | Current |
| Scott Farquhar | Co-founder | Stepped down as Co-CEO August 2024 | |
| Jay Parikh | Director | End of 2024 | |
| Christian Smith | Director | January 1, 2025 | Current |
| Scott Belsky | Director | August 2024 | Current |
Atlassian's governance structure is significantly influenced by its dual-class share system. Class A shares each carry one vote, while Class B shares are granted ten votes each. The co-founders, Mike Cannon-Brookes and Scott Farquhar, hold the majority of these Class B shares. As of June 6, 2025, this arrangement gives the founders approximately 38% of the total voting power, allowing them substantial control over key company decisions and director elections. This ownership structure has been in place since the company's initial public offering, reinforcing founder influence on strategic direction.
The dual-class share structure at Atlassian Corporation Plc is central to its ownership and control dynamics. This system ensures that the founders retain significant influence over the company's strategic direction and governance.
- Class A shares have one vote per share.
- Class B shares have ten votes per share.
- Founders hold the majority of Class B shares.
- This structure impacts the Target Market of Atlassian by ensuring long-term vision.
- Founders collectively hold 38% of voting control as of June 6, 2025.
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What Recent Changes Have Shaped Atlassian’s Ownership Landscape?
In the past three to five years, Atlassian's ownership profile has seen significant shifts, including active share repurchase programs and a notable leadership transition. These developments reflect the company's strategic direction and confidence in its market position.
| Development | Date | Details |
| Share Repurchase Program Authorization | October 2024 | Up to $1.5 billion in Class A Common Stock |
| Share Buybacks (Quarter ending March 31, 2025) | Q1 FY2025 | $134.305 million, a 279.64% increase year-over-year |
| Co-CEO Transition | September 2024 | Scott Farquhar stepped down, Mike Cannon-Brookes became sole CEO |
| Founder Share Sales | May 2025 | Co-founders sold 1.7 million shares each |
| Institutional Ownership | March 2025 | Institutions held 94% of shares |
| Total Revenue (FY2025) | FY2025 | $5.2 billion |
| Total Revenue (Q3 FY2025) | Q3 FY2025 | $1.356.7 billion, a 14% increase year-over-year |
| Cloud Revenue Growth (Q3 FY2025) | Q3 FY2025 | 25% increase |
The company's strategic focus on cloud offerings and AI capabilities continues to shape its financial performance and ownership trends. Atlassian's investments in enterprise, AI, and cloud services are geared towards sustained growth and reinforcing its standing in the collaborative software sector. Understanding the Competitors Landscape of Atlassian provides further context to these strategic moves.
Mike Cannon-Brookes is now the sole CEO after Scott Farquhar's transition. Despite selling some shares in May 2025, the founders collectively retain significant voting power.
Institutional investors are increasingly dominant, holding 94% of Atlassian's shares as of March 2025. This trend highlights growing confidence from major financial entities.
Atlassian's commitment to shareholder value is evident in its share repurchase programs. The company authorized up to $1.5 billion in October 2024 and reported a substantial increase in buybacks in early 2025.
The company's revenue growth, particularly in cloud offerings, underscores its strategic investments. Total revenue reached $5.2 billion for fiscal year 2025, with cloud revenue up 25% in Q3 FY2025.
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