Early Life
Scott Farquhar was born in December 1979, in Parramatta, Sydney, Australia. He showed an early interest in technology, spending countless hours with computers as a child. He attended Castle Hill Primary School, James Ruse Agricultural High School, and graduated from the University of New South Wales with a Bachelor of Science in Information Technology (BIT).
Rise to Success
In 2002, Farquhar co-founded Atlassian with Mike Cannon-Brookes. They bootstrapped the company, initially funding it with a $10,000 credit card debt. Atlassian's first major product was Jira, a project-tracking software. The company went public on the NASDAQ in December 2015. Farquhar and Cannon-Brookes became Australia's first tech startup billionaires. Farquhar stepped down as co-CEO of Atlassian in August 2024, but remains on the board as a special advisor.
Key Business Strategies
Atlassian's success is attributed to its focus on developing quality products and a self-serve business model, foregoing a traditional sales force. The company also embraced a culture of innovation and employee collaboration. Farquhar has been a proponent of baking philanthropy into business from the start, co-founding Pledge 1%.
Philanthropy
Farquhar is deeply involved in philanthropy. He co-founded Pledge 1%, which encourages companies to donate 1% of equity, employee time, or products to charity. He also runs the Skip Foundation with his wife, Kim Jackson, which funds initiatives in areas like climate change, health, and equal opportunity.
