Essay by Eric Worrall

“… so I can run a global business from Australia, and still be a constantly present dad …”

Billionaire climate campaigner Mike Cannon-Brookes defends buying private jet and sponsoring F1 team

Atlassian co-founder says he has ‘extremely rigorous carbon regime’ but makes ‘hard tradeoff’ to run global business and be ‘a constantly present dad’

Graham Readfearn
Fri 14 Mar 2025 15.06 AEDT

The Australian billionaire and outspoken climate advocate Mike Cannon-Brookes has defended buying a private jet and his company’s new sponsorship of the Williams Formula One racing team.

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Cannon-Brookes sought to explain the reasons why he bought the jet and Atlassian’s F1 sponsorship in an almost-500 word post to LinkedIn, hours after the Australian Financial Review had written about the billionaire’s new jet.

Estimated to be worth US$13bn by Forbes, Cannon-Brookes said he bought a private jet “so I can run a global business from Australia, and still be a constantly present dad” which was a “hard, continual tradeoff I’ve decided to make”.

On the sponsorship of the Williams F1 team, Cannon-Brookes said he appreciated “the double take” on the deal because “cars=fuel”.

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“It probably comes as no surprise, I have an extremely rigorous carbon regime for all my flying – including using direct air capture and sustainable fuels for the carbon and contrails, to far exceed my flight footprint,” he wrote.

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Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2025/mar/14/mike-cannon-brookes-f1-williams-sponsorship-atlassian-private-jet

It’s OK Mike, we at WUWT understand, believe me we do.

Of course, this has implications for the rest of us family guys – we love our kids every bit as much as Mike loves his.

Now that a leading green has set the acceptable family man carbon allowance at the level of CO2 emitted by flying multiple times per week in a private jet and sponsoring an Formula 1 racing team, I think most of us with a little personal sacrifice could match that level of climate activism.

I only have one question.

Mike, back in 2019 your company Atlassian offered paid leave to employees who participate in climate protests. Does this offer still apply to employees who attend a green blockade of your private jet? Or do they have to make sure they blockade someone elses private jet?