Born in Australia · Nationality Australian — Business / finance / tech

Scott Farquhar

Documented profile covering 5 controversies, including “Scott Farquhar's weak password reportedly enabled major Atlassian intrusion, according to historical investigation published in 2026” and “Multimillion-dollar donations to Climate 200 and controversy over major donors' influence”.

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Profile No. 0840 · Updated on 12 October 2026

5Documented controversies

11Sources

0Formal charge · all time

0Conviction

§ Legal statuses reflect the documented sources as of the date shown; they replace neither court decisions nor the presumption of innocence. Counts are not a rating. Methodology

I. Documented controversies

2010 (révélé en 2026)

Scott Farquhar's weak password reportedly enabled major Atlassian intrusion, according to historical investigation published in 2026

No legal proceedings

An investigation by The Australian based on the book Tech Bros reported that in April 2010 a Slovenian hacker had gained 'super admin' access to Atlassian's systems using a Farquhar password described as easy to guess. The incident reportedly caused major disruption, temporary system shutdowns and the involvement of the Australian Federal Police, the FBI and cybersecurity specialists.

State of the evidence: Documented
Legal status — source text: No legal proceedings
Attribution: Directly implicated

Sources · 1

[1]
The AustralianScott Farquhar's Atlassian password led to AFP, FBI rescuing company from hackersInvestigative journalismMedium reliability

Last verified: 3 September 2026

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2019–2024 (révélé en 2026)

Rift with Mike Cannon-Brookes, reported accusation of 'bullying' behaviour and departure from joint leadership

No legal proceedings

Tech Bros and accompanying articles described a deep rift between Farquhar and Cannon-Brookes, including an extended period without communication, mediation and conflicts combining governance and personal relationships. Cannon-Brookes reportedly accused Farquhar of behaving like a 'bully' in this context. Farquhar stepped down as co-CEO in 2024.

State of the evidence: Reported by the press
Legal status — source text: No legal proceedings
Attribution: Directly implicated

Sources · 2

[1]
The AustralianInside the Atlassian split: How two best friends built an empire then fell apartInvestigative journalismMedium reliability
[2]
The Front / The AustralianHow Atlassian’s tech bromance diedPressMedium reliability

Last verified: 3 September 2026

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2025–2026

Campaign to relax copyright law for AI training, criticised by creative industries

No legal proceedings

As chairman of the Tech Council of Australia, Farquhar advocated copyright reform to facilitate AI model training in Australia, arguing that a regime closer to that of the United States could unlock billions in investment. Representatives of the music industry and creators accused this approach of seeking to allow protected content to be used free of charge without permission or remuneration.

State of the evidence: Documented
Legal status — source text: No legal proceedings
Attribution: Direct responsibility

Sources · 3

[1]
ABC NewsCopyright law is now the biggest battleground in Australia's AI boomMediaHigh reliability
[2]
ARIAARIA responds to Scott FarquharStatementMedium reliability
[3]
APRA AMCOSAPRA AMCOS responds to Tech Council Chair Scott FarquharStatementMedium reliability

Last verified: 3 September 2026

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2021–2025

Multimillion-dollar donations to Climate 200 and controversy over major donors' influence

No legal proceedings

Farquhar and his wife contributed 1,5 million Australian dollars to Climate 200 for the 2022 cycle, making him the organisation's largest disclosed donor; he contributed approximately 1,5 million again during the 2024-25 cycle. These sums fuelled debate over the influence of a few billionaires in financing so-called 'teal' independent candidates.

State of the evidence: Documented
Legal status — source text: No legal proceedings
Attribution: Directly implicated

Sources · 3

[1]
The GuardianWinning teal independents backed by $10.2m in political donationsMediaHigh reliability
[2]
The GuardianDonors gave $131m before Australia’s 2025 election. Here’s who they areMediaHigh reliability
[3]
The GuardianA tale of two Scott Farquhars: how one small change set back political transparency in AustraliaMediaHigh reliability

Last verified: 3 September 2026

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2023-03

Approximately 500 Atlassian jobs cut, with Farquhar and Cannon-Brookes accepting final responsibility

No legal proceedings

Atlassian cut approximately 500 jobs, representing 5 % of its workforce. Farquhar and Cannon-Brookes wrote that the leadership team and board had participated in the decision but that the final call was theirs as co-founders.

State of the evidence: Documented
Legal status — source text: No legal proceedings
Attribution: Direct responsibility

Sources · 2

[1]
AtlassianA difficult update on our teamPress releaseHigh reliability
[2]
The GuardianAtlassian to axe 500 jobs ‘with the heaviest of hearts’MediaHigh reliability

Last verified: 3 September 2026

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II. Constellation of documented links

Linked profile (portrait or initials) — click to open it
Line width: number of documented references
Hover over or tap a line: controversies and sources

Two profiles are linked when a documented controversy of one names the other. The link points to that controversy and its sources; it does not indicate a personal relationship.

List of documented links (1)

Mike Cannon-Brookes2 documented references
- Massive funding of Climate 200 and debate over billionaires' political influence Source ↗
- Rift with Mike Cannon-Brookes, reported accusation of 'bullying' behaviour and departure from joint leadership Source ↗

III. Has something changed?

A new court decision, a missing source, a mistake? Tell us what should be updated: every request is read by the editorial team.