Atlassian’s latest earnings results point to an unexpected development in the AI revolution: rather than reducing the need for software developers, artificial intelligence may actually expand the number of people creating software. The company reported strong fiscal 2026 results, with fourth-quarter revenue reaching $1.77 billion, up 28% year over year. The performance suggests that demand for tools such as Jira and Confluence remains strong even as AI increasingly changes how software is built.
Atlassian CEO Mike Cannon-Brookes argued that AI is lowering the cost and difficulty of creating software. As coding becomes more accessible through natural-language AI tools, people outside traditional engineering teams—including employees in finance, HR, marketing, and other departments—can increasingly participate in software creation. Instead of there simply being fewer developers, the company expects a much larger number of people to build technology and a corresponding increase in the amount of software that needs to be managed.
This shift could benefit Atlassian because more software development creates greater demand for collaboration, project management, and workflow platforms. The company says it is itself using multiple AI coding tools and continues to hire engineers and developers as its business expands. Its results therefore challenge the assumption that AI-powered coding tools will automatically shrink the software-development workforce.
The broader implication is that AI may change the nature of software development rather than simply eliminate software jobs. Developers are likely to spend more time directing AI systems, reviewing generated code, solving complex problems, and validating results, while non-technical employees gain greater ability to create software themselves. If this trend continues, the future could involve more people building more software—with AI acting as an accelerator rather than a straightforward replacement for human developers.
