Today
Tesla director James Murdoch dumps $21m stake in Musk carmaker
The estrange son of media magnate Rupert Murdoch has been on the board since 2017. Other insiders including chairman Robyn Denholm are also selling down.
Yesterday
Scott Farquhar to succeed Robyn Denholm as Tech Council chair
The Atlassian co-founder is taking his first major role since stepping down from his company and will become Australia’s top tech lobbyist.
February
Australia should punt on bold, unproven ideas: Shergold
The Australian Research Council chairman says this country needs to get behind young researchers whose work takes greater risks but offers larger rewards.
Australia’s critical slide in R&D is now a national emergency
In a world reshaping through emerging technologies, the nation needs to put innovation at the centre of its competitive DNA to set up its fortunes for decades.
‘National emergency’ as Australia falls $25b short in R&D
Tesla chair Robyn Denholm and Industry Minister Ed Husic say Australia risks falling behind unless big business spends more on inventing new products and ideas.
January
Silicon Valley’s lurch to the right catches the eye of local VCs
Some 15,000 kilometres away from Washington DC, where tech is cosying up to Donald Trump, local start-ups are pondering whether to ride the anti-DEI wave.
Tennis Australia raises almost $50m for sports and entertainment fund
Backers of its AO Ventures vehicle include major investors such as John Wylie and Caledonia’s Mark Nelson, along with Tesla chairwoman Robyn Denholm.
December 2024
The Year of Brilliant Jerks: Rear Window’s year in review
Trump, Ellison, White, Adgemis, Gupta and that Rinehart portrait. For Rear Window, the end of shame and pretense added up to a ripping year of stories.
Denholm on Musk: He’s entitled to his opinion, I’m entitled to mine
Robyn Denholm rose from obscurity to become the highest-profile Australian in business. But overseeing the world’s richest man as Tesla chair is no easy thing.
Tesla’s Denholm misled investors about ruling on Musk’s pay: judge
The Delaware court, which ruled against the Tesla chief executive’s $155 billion pay packet, says the carmaker’s chairwoman made “false” statements.
Time to reverse the R&D slide
I encourage everyone with an interest in our long-term prosperity to engage with the review of the system so we get the best possible recommendations.
Tesla’s Robyn Denholm to lead review of R&D settings
The Albanese government has ordered the first review of research and development spending in Australia in almost 20 years.
November 2024
‘Nanny state’: Top techies slate rushed social media laws
Australia’s tech sector was stunned at being given only 24 hours to respond to new social media laws, and warns they are ill-defined and risk unintended consequences.
Tesla’s Robyn Denholm up $200m since Trump victory
Tesla’s surge is a vibe, a mood, a bitcoin-adjacent, Joe Rogan-induced mania. But it’s a thing. And if it holds, it’ll make its chairwoman richer.
October 2024
Angry members brand Tech Council a ‘billionaires lunch club’
The industry association for some of the country’s largest technology firms failed to act on allegations against WiseTech founder Richard White, they say.
If the Tech Council had moral backbone, it would have sacked White
Richard White has not fully departed WiseTech, perpetuating the idea that tech companies need ‘brilliant jerks’. The Tech Council should have sacked him.
Richard White a fait accompli at the Tech Council
We had little idea how controversial the decision was, even at the time.
Tech Council board picked Richard White over Robin Khuda
One must pity the Tech Council of Australia, newly tied to Richard White, who joined its board in late June.
NAB no longer hosting Richard White
No man is an island – not even a billionaire. All have some vulnerability to the headlines, even when seemingly determined to ride them out.
September 2024
Elon Musk opens the door to Robyn Denholm
The Tesla chairman sold another $25 million shares, while her chief executive Elon Musk acts out as the world’s worst internet troll.