Atlassian CEO says AI will not replace workplace software tools

In short: Atlassian CEO Mike Cannon-Brookes says AI will change how office software works, but it will not make tools like Jira and Trello unnecessary.

What's going on

Mike Cannon-Brookes, the cofounder and CEO of Atlassian, pushed back on the idea of a “SaaSpocalypse,” the fear that AI will wipe out subscription software companies by doing all the work for you. Atlassian makes workplace tools like Jira and Trello, which many companies use to plan projects and track tasks.

Cannon-Brookes said AI will speed up many steps inside a business process, like reviewing routine requests. But he argued that the messy, unusual cases still need human judgment. He also said businesses will still need clear views of what is going on, even if AI does more of the reading and sorting behind the scenes.

He said Atlassian is betting on combining AI with a strong user interface, meaning the screens people actually use. In his view, chatbots alone will not be the “final” way people work with software. He compared this to bank branches, which did not disappear after mobile banking. They changed what they do.

Cannon-Brookes also described changes inside Atlassian. The company has about 12,000 to 13,000 employees worldwide and allows flexible work locations. He said Atlassian cut about 10 percent of staff earlier in 2026 to shift its skill mix toward fast-growing areas like AI features and enterprise sales.

What to watch

Atlassian plans a new round of product announcements at its Team 26 EU event in Amsterdam, including more AI features and updates to Dia, its work-focused web browser (think of it like a browser built for managing work tabs, not just reading websites).

Source: The Verge AI