Atlassian chief executive and co-founder Mike Cannon-Brookes has pushed back on predictions that artificial intelligence could wipe out software-as-a-service businesses, in a wide-ranging discussion on the future of enterprise tools. Speaking from the company’s home base in Australia, he addressed how AI is reshaping the way businesses build and use software, and why he believes the so-called SaaSpocalypse has not materialised.
Atlassian is widely regarded as one of the companies that other companies run on. Its platform tools, including Jira and Trello, help organisations manage large teams, create shared databases of company information and coordinate day-to-day work. Cannon-Brookes explained that all of the firm’s products are different expressions of a single core platform, an approach that shapes both how Atlassian is structured internally and how its products are built.
How AI is reshaping enterprise software
The rise of AI has placed Atlassian at the centre of a shift in how businesses operate. AI tools may be able to read across the various systems a company already uses, potentially making a large migration to a single platform less appealing. A more extreme view, associated with the SaaSpocalypse concept, holds that AI could simply build these tools for companies, threatening the entire category of businesses.
Cannon-Brookes offered a firm counterargument. He pointed to the continuing value of design and human users, and said that AI is actually increasing the usage of Atlassian’s tools rather than diminishing it. He also described what he expects the landscape to look like several years from now, framing AI as a force that expands demand for well-designed collaboration software.
A changing mix of skills
AI has also changed Atlassian itself. Like many other technology companies, the firm carried out a round of layoffs earlier in the year. Cannon-Brookes said he felt the company needed a different mix of skills, and he discussed what that mix looks like and how AI is altering what it means to run a software company.
At the same time, he was direct about the limits of the technology. He was willing to challenge the views of peers, including Cloudflare chief executive Matthew Prince, who has spoken about AI eliminating what he termed measurement roles. Cannon-Brookes described Atlassian as a platform that enables businesses to collaborate and manage work across their teams, connecting business teams and technology teams to handle challenging work problems within a single platform.
The conversation ranged across the value of design, the role of human users and the future structure of software organisations. Cannon-Brookes recorded the discussion at 5am from Atlassian’s headquarters in Australia.
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Image: theverge.com
