Scaling agentic AI: Inside Atlassian’s culture of experimentation

The journey to scale agentic AI goes beyond merely utilizing advanced tools; it necessitates a supportive environment, clear direction, and a culture that embraces experimentation. At the Transform 2025 event organized by Venture Beat, Anu Bharadwaj, president of Atlassian, unveiled key strategies that empower employees to create thousands of custom agents aimed at addressing everyday challenges. Atlassian has cultivated a workplace culture characterized by curiosity, enthusiasm, and ongoing experimentation. Bharadwaj emphasized the limitations of top-down mandates in driving AI adoption. "While these mandates can generate initial interest, the real challenge lies in how employees integrate these tools into their workflows and iterate over time for maximum impact," she remarked. This iterative process thrives in an environment where short-term failures are viewed as valuable lessons rather than setbacks. Central to this initiative is Atlassian’s agent development platform, Rovo Studio, which acts as a creative space for teams to innovate. Creating a psychologically safe atmosphere is paramount, Bharadwaj noted. "At Atlassian, we value openness and transparency. We encourage our employees to explore new ideas, and if a project fails, it’s a learning opportunity rather than a reason for punishment. Being explicit about this culture is crucial." Furthermore, a balance between experimentation and safety measures is essential. This includes ensuring that employees are properly authenticated when using new tools, and that agents adhere to permission protocols and role-based access. Bharadwaj explained, "We envision a collaborative ecosystem where humans and agents work in tandem, evolving together. As more teams utilize Rovo agents, we anticipate a fundamental shift in our company’s operational dynamics." The power of collaboration becomes evident when multiple agents and individuals interact. Currently, many agents function independently, but Bharadwaj predicts a shift towards diverse interaction models that promote collaborative efforts. "Teamwork fundamentally revolves around multiplayer collaboration—humans and agents working side by side." Rovo Studio is designed to be user-friendly, accommodating a wide range of skill levels, including those with no coding experience. For example, a customer in the construction sector successfully reduced their roadmap creation time by 75%, while Harper Collins reported a fourfold increase in efficiency across their departments by implementing custom agents. By integrating Rovo Studio with their developer platform, Forge, technical teams gain the ability to tailor their AI workflows extensively. They can define contexts, identify knowledge sources, and customize interaction patterns, leading to the creation of highly specialized agents. Simultaneously, non-technical teams benefit from user-friendly experiences that allow for natural language customizations. Bharadwaj highlighted that for agentic transformation to be effective, it must extend beyond mere coding scenarios and involve the entire team. "Developers typically spend only 10% of their time on coding; the rest involves collaborating with others to resolve customer issues and troubleshoot production problems. Our platform enables the creation of agents for every function, thereby streamlining the entire process." Unlike past technological shifts towards mobile or cloud solutions, AI transformation signifies a fundamental change in work dynamics. Bharadwaj advocates for transparency in sharing AI experiences, illustrating her point by discussing her practice of sharing Loom videos that document her exploration of new tools. "This ongoing mental iteration is crucial for fostering a mindset that embraces change as we adapt our work processes."