The founders of Canva and Atlassian remain some of Australia’s richest people, and dozens of local technology entrepreneurs have dramatically increased their fortunes, despite disruptions to the global software market.
The Australian published its annual Rich 250 List on Friday, unveiling how the net worth of Australia’s most prominent businesspeople has alterd over the past year.
Canva’s Cliff Obrecht and Melanie Perkins occupied fifth and sixth place on the ranking, jumping five places apiece, boasting a combined net worth of $18.33 billion.
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Their collective fortune increased by more than $4.1 billion since The Australian‘s last ranking, after investors in their graphic design platform valued the business at $65 billion.
Their co-founder Cameron Adams also saw his fortune grow by more than $1.5 billion to $6.36 billion, good enough to land him in 22nd place.
Atlassian co-founders Scott Farquhar and Mike Cannon-Brookes commanded 12th and 13th spot, falling from fourth and third position in last year’s list, respectively.
Their net worths — $11.87 billion and $11.76 billion, by the latest count — have more than halved in the past 12 months, owing to Atlassian’s falling share price.
Investors are monitoring the ability of AI agents to emulate Atlassian’s core products, and Cannon-Brookes this month announced 1,600 layoffs while flagging Atlassian’s own investment in AI tools.
Richard White, co-founder and executive chair of WiseTech Global, also stepped down the rankings: a fortune of $7.07 billion, down from $14.82 billion, was good enough for 19th spot.
Shares in the logistics technology company have fallen in the face of governance issues and potential AI disruption, but rallied in January after it announced widespread job cuts.
Other familiar names increased their net worth.
Robin Khuda, founder and chief executive of AirTrunk, notched a fortune of $2.64 billion, up some $200 million from 2025.
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Airwallex representatives dot the list: co-founder and CEO Jack Zhang now has an estimated net worth of $1.54 billion, up some $300 million over the year, even as the fintech faces regulatory scrutiny.
Co-founders Jacob Dai ($1.36 billion) and Max Li ($1.1 billion) also prospered after the business was valued at $8 billion late last year.
The net worth of Afterpay co-founders Anthony Eisen ($1.05 billion) and Nick Molnar ($877 million) dipped, as shares in Block — which acquired Afterpay in 2021 — declined over the year.
But Block founder Jack Dorsey’s recent announcement of widespread layoffs, and increasing investment in AI, saw share prices lift in February.
More notable entries include:
- Firmus co-founder and chief executive Oliver Curtis (145), with a net worth of $1.29 billion,
- A Cloud Guru co-founders Ryan and Sam Kroonenburg (164 and 165), with a combined net worth of $1.12 billion,
- Tesla chair Robyn Denholm (208) with $907 million,
- And lucky last, Rokt founder and chief executive Bruce Buchanan (250) with $750 million.
You can read the full list here.
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