Atlassian finally pulls the pin on Russia

The company, which has been criticised for continuing to do business in the country after the invasion of Ukraine, said it would wind down operations this month.

Ukrainian protesters gathered outside the Atlassian office in late August. Picture: Damian Shaw

Atlassian will close its entire Russian operation at the end of October after the company became the target of repeated protests having refused to exit the country.

In a note, the Australian-headquartered, Nasdaq-listed business said it would “be winding down our Russian and Belarusian business completely”.

“Due to the ongoing actions of the Russian government against the Ukrainian people and the compulsion of business to support this illegal invasion, we have concluded we can no longer operate in Russia at all,” wrote the company’s founders Scott Farquhar and Mike Cannon-Brookes.

In March, the two co-chief executives faced internal criticism after refusing to exit the country following the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Other major companies have all shuttered their businesses in Russia in response.

In March, Atlassian told employees that it was a “complex geopolitical situation and everyone is trying to process it”. Atlassian said it would not terminate its relationships with existing customers in Russia, although it would pause the sale of new software and suspend existing government-owned licenses.

In August, Atlassian’s Sydney headquarters was targeted by pro-Ukraine demonstrations, and was accused of contributing to the war against Ukraine.

On Friday, however, Mr Farquhar and Mr Cannon-Brookes announced a change of position.

“We continue to be appalled by the actions of the Russian government and stand with the people and the government of Ukraine, and offer our support in any way we can,” they wrote.

“We continue to work closely with impacted Atlassian employees to ensure they are treated with respect and have our full support during this difficult time.”

A large number of businesses have closed or are in the process of shutting in Russia. Fashion retailer H&M, which had 170 stores, is shutting down while Nestle has stopped all “non-essential” import and exports. Apple paused sales in March, while IBM has suspended its business in the country, as was Intel. Microsoft has stopped the sale of new products and services, while Uber said it was accelerating the divestment of its local ride hailing business.

On Friday, Russia announced it would annex nearly one fifth of Ukraine – a process which is illegal under international law. It will recognise four Ukrainian regions as Russian territory, raising the possibility of a more aggressive attack on the country.

Originally published as Atlassian finally pulls the pin on Russia