In another jolt of AI layoffs, Atlassian CEO Mike Cannon-Brookes laid off 150 employees via a pre-recorded video, attributing their replacement to AI. The Australian software firm, however, did not name whose jobs will be cut, but customer service roles are likely to be hit the worst.
As high-value executives compete with swanky bots, the staggering number of layoffs across all industries has impacted staff performance at large. The Atlassian CEO was seen delivering the blow from his home office and is expected to pay the impacted staff for the next six months.
Triggering large speculations from netizens, users on social media related to mass layoffs as an attempt to rile the stock prices. “Historically, any announcement of layoffs will boost stock prices. And nowadays, you need to talk about AI nonstop to get attention,” opined a user of Reddit. While the other countered that high attrition only meant that the firm wasn’t doing well, talking about the general connotation of layoffs in the past.
But tech giants like Microsoft have proved otherwise. Boosting investment in AI, 15000 layoffs so far, and the firm reached a $4 trillion market cap in July, joining the big leagues with Nvidia. On July 23, 2025, the Atlassian Corp CEO sold 7,668 Class A shares, generating $1.55 million, according to an SEC filing. The $52.46 billion software company, known for its strong 82.31% gross margins, said the sale was made under a pre-arranged 10b5-1 plan, reported Investing.com.
Brookes’ ‘high flying’ approach
The Atlassian CEO is worth $13.9 billion and has several investments in ambitious eco-friendly projects, including building an undersea cable between Darwin and Singapore to deliver solar-generated electricity.
Caught in an eco-friendly facade, Mike, the Atlassian CEO was slammed for the purchase of a swanky new private jet earlier this year. In March, the CEO justified his decision to buy a Bombardier 7500, an aircraft reportedly priced at over US$75 million (around AU$119.2 million), explaining that it would help him be a “present dad” and have better “personal security”.
Techies support AI
Users on the internet also supported the inclusion of AI in their workplace. Sharing a small anecdote, a coder shared, “AI is a significant threat to many jobs. It’s not perfect yet, but personally, my team’s and my productivity has gone up drastically. Previously, I used to spend a lot of time, like 70% on coding and the rest of the time on design or meetings. Now it’s the opposite. My client and employer are encouraging us to use approved AI.”
