Scott Farquhar, co-founder and co-CEO of global software company, Atlassian, speaks at the National Maritime Museum in Sydney, April 10, 2018.
Chris Hopins | Australian Financial Review | beautiful pictures
Co-CEO of a collaborative software maker Atlassian, Scott Farquhar has had a rough year along with many of his industry peers. The company’s share price has lost half of its value by 2022 as concerns about inflation collide with rising interest rates. high growth technology sector.
But one of his most stressful times of the year has nothing to do with software or the macroeconomics.
In April, while in Las Vegas for a corporate conference, Farquhar went out with a friend for an evening of fine dining and entertainment. He just flew in from Sydney, Australia, where he helped start Atlassian 20 years ago.
That night, he saved a man’s life.
CNBC learned from Farquhar’s experience after publishing a separate story on Atlassian and talk to someone with knowledge of the incident. Farquhar later confirmed the account and agreed to be interviewed about it.
Farquhar was in Las Vegas for Team ’22, which Atlassian describe on its website is “Atlassian’s premier conference and pinnacle teamwork experience.” Employees, customers and partners will be on hand to hear how the company’s software is being implemented and hear from a range of speakers, including Farquhar and former Disney Bob Iger CEO.
The event was set to start on April 5. Three nights earlier, Farquhar had been out with a friend, who had moved to the US from Australia.
The two had dinner together, and then found a table by the dance floor at the Omnia nightclub at Caesars Palace on the Las Vegas strip. The club was packed, but thinned out as the night wore on.
In the early hours of the morning, Farquhar crossed the dance floor on his way to the bathroom. That’s when he noticed a man lying still on his back. To Farquhar, the man looked dead. Having taken several first aid classes over the course of a decade as a scout in Australia, Farquhar has been trained in some of the things to do in such a situation.
He went to the floor beside the man and touched his cheek to see if he was breathing. He is not. No chest movements are visible.
Under flashing lights and shrill music, Farquhar began performing CPR until the revivers at the club approached and asked him to stop.
“Well, you’ll do it,” Farquhar recalls replying.
They told him to proceed. A representative for Tao Group Hospitality, Omnia’s parent company, said the club did not comment on “incidents involving our guests.”
Medical help arrives
Farquhar performed chest compressions and breathing along with CPR. He practiced many times but only on dolls, never on other people.
Partiers come to see. Music stops. Farquhar dropped his head next to the man and heard gurgling sounds. Some people yelled at Farquhar. Others have tried to help. He recalls.
A man wearing plastic gloves and a shirt with a medical badge arrives. Medical staff on the dance floor. He started pulling tools out of his bag.
Then the man on the floor woke up. He was firmly on his feet. But his face didn’t change at all and his breathing was labored, Farquhar said. Paramedics put the man in a wheelchair and took him away.
“He’s the deadliest man I’ve ever seen,” Farquhar said.
Farquhar stood up, trying to process what had just happened.
“Hey man, you just saved that guy’s life,” a guard told him.
Another waiter walked over and asked for Farquhar’s ID. He gave his passport to the guard, who led Farquhar to a dark queue outside the club and returned the documents.
“Okay, lost,” said the guard.
Farquhar then called hospitals in Las Vegas to find out if any of them had accepted someone who matched his description of the man at the club. He did not find a match. CNBC has yet to identify the man.
Farquhar eventually heard that the man had survived a heart attack.
Farquhar, who has 22% Atlassian’s stake is worth more than $10 billion.
When he called back with his friend outside the club, Farquhar said he thought he had just saved someone’s life. His friend, who was trained to be a doctor, had no idea what had just happened.
“Yes, we do it all the time in the hospital,” he replied with a pat on the arm.
Farquhar recalls his friend asking if he wanted another drink. He refused.
On Friday, Farquhar, who was run the financial, human resources, legal, marketing and sales functions of Atlassian, taking on the additional job of interim chief financial officer. The company is looking for a full-time replacement for James Beer, who has held the position since 2018.
CLOCK: Wells Fargo’s Michael Turrin likes Atlassian, Intuit and Workday
