Atlassian billionaire Mike Cannon-Brookes splits with wife Annie

The separation of Mike Cannon-Brookes and his wife Annie, after 13 years’ marriage, marks the second high-profile billionaire breakup in less than a fortnight.

Mike and Annie Cannon-Brookes at their home in Centennial Park, Sydney. Picture: James Croucher

Atlassian co-founder and tech billionaire Mike Cannon-Brookes has separated from his wife Annie after 13 years of marriage, sources close to the family have confirmed.

Mr Cannon-Brookes, who was most recently ranked as the sixth wealthiest Australian, according to The Australian’s Richest 250, with an estimated wealth of $16.1bn, and his wife are understood to have separated more than a month ago.

“They’re both focused on their children as their number one priority right now,” a source close to the family said in a statement. “They ask that their privacy is respected.”

The separation makes the second high-profile billionaire breakup in less than a fortnight, with Andrew Forrest announcing a split with wife Nicola earlier this month.

The Cannon-Brookes family, including their four children, reside at Point Piper mansion Fairwater, a 1.12ha estate that had been held by the Fairfax family for more than 100 years. The couple paid a record $100m for the property in late 2018, making it Australia’s most expensive house, and beating the previous record set by best friend Scott Farquhar who had earlier paid $71m for the house next door.

The high-profile couple at the GQ Men Of The Year Awards in Sydney. Picture: Christian Gilles

The tech titan co-founded software firm Atlassian with his long-time friend Mr Farquhar in 2001 and while the company is listed on the Nasdaq exchange in the US they have chosen to keep its headquarters in Sydney. The company builds enterprise collaboration software for teams, and its products including Jira and Confluence have racked up more than 10 million active monthly users globally.

Atlassian has been a stunning success since he and Farquhar started the business after meeting at the University of NSW. The 2015 Nasdaq float catapulted the pair into the ranks of the wealthiest people in the country. As of August 2022 the co-founders held about 43 per cent of Atlassian shares, but had planned to slowly sell a portion of those shares over the next 12 months.

Annie Cannon-Brookes is a fashion designer who runs a fashion label, dubbed House of Cannon.

Mike and Annie Cannon-Brookes have been active investors since they first met at a Qantas lounge more than a decade ago. In 2021 they committed to invest $1.5bn into climate projects by 2030, and more recently Mr Cannon-Brookes and fellow billionaire Andrew Forrest were involved in a spat over the $30bn Sun Cable project they both back that resulted in the large renewable development going into administration after a dispute about its future.

Mike and Annie are also among Australia’s most active property investors and have shelled out for numerous high-end properties across NSW, including $12m for a house that backs on to Fairwater, $15m for a 155ha property in the NSW Southern Highlands, a $5.35 million purchase of the nearby 45ha Rosehill Farm, along with another Highland farm, Joadja Creek, bought for $3.3m in 2016.

In August 2020 Mr Cannon-Brookes was revealed as the $24.5m buyer of the Koichi Takada-designed Newport trophy home previously owned by model Jennifer Hawkins, after spending $8.7m in 2013 to buy a six-bedroom, eight-bathroom house set on 1107 sq m in Palm Beach.

Mike and Annie Cannon-Brookes. Picture: James Croucher

In August 2020 he spent $2.3m on a private getaway at Great Mackerel Beach further up the NSW coast, and in 2020 also spent $18m to buy the former official residence of the German consul-general in Woollahra, which Annie Cannon-Brookes was expected to use as an office and studio for her House of Cannon fashion enterprise.

In April Mr Cannon-Brookes and Mr Farquhar announced they were laying off 5 per cent of Atlassian‘s staff, amid a widespread “tech wreck” impacting the valuation of software companies.

Speaking exclusively on the sidelines of Atlassian’s Teams summit in Las Vegas in April, Mr Cannon-Brookes told The Australian he had no plans to depart the company he co-founded more than two decades ago.

“I’ve had a 90/10 rule for many years … And I don’t intend to change that,” Mr Cannon-Brookes said.

“Ninety per cent of my hours are spent here (at Atlassian), 10 per cent are spent outside.

“I have a lot of great teams of people outside, but this is something that’s a very intentional choice of how to spend my time, and that’s how I can have the greatest impact.”

Additional reporting: John Stensholt

Originally published as Atlassian billionaire Mike Cannon-Brookes splits with wife Annie