Bronwen

Startups and VC correspondent at @CapitalBrief
Email: [email protected]

[Bronwen @bronwen]

Several former @EmploymentHero staff came forward after my story on IWD to share their experiences at the company, describing it as a "vile workplace" with "shoddy HR practices" and a "fear culture". The full story is here https://t.co/yJYe5lhpWP

[Capital Brief @CapitalBrief]

Just how bad is Australia’s national debt problem? It’s been a topic of debate lately, especially in Canberra as the federal election looms, amid forecasts that total debt will hit $1 trillion by 2025/26.

Jennifer Duke dived into the numbers and talked to top economists to get the real story 👇

[ACTAI Ventures @ACTAIVentures]

From a kiteboarding trip in Perth to Australia’s longest-running tech & innovation festival, #WTF2024 has come far. Huge thanks to @BillTai, @LarryLopezWA, Rohan McDougall, Paula Taylor, and the @WestTechFest team for an unforgettable year!

👀✍️@bronwen: https://t.co/YpmrzmNMRO

[Bronwen @bronwen]

"Recently media reports have published anonymous claims by former employees about cultural problems, rowdy offsite staff events and unexplained sackings."

Keep it classy, AFR.

Those media reports are here https://t.co/qvt8zBziaF

[Bronwen @bronwen]

My latest reporting on Employment Hero https://t.co/WlVWAZwF0L

[Bronwen @bronwen]

Our latest reporting on @EmploymentHero ...

""Management justifies it in typical Musk fashion, that we need to change and move fast,” said one former employee, referring to Tesla founder Elon Musk. “But nothing happens fast and very little of truly unique and differentiated value gets delivered because they don't have the attention span and patience to see anything through."

https://t.co/kvGzISYLY6

[Bronwen @bronwen]

@benzino888 Good investigative business journalism has a cost. It's our business model.

[Bronwen @bronwen]

Another interesting "take" from a founder.

[Ben Kennedy 🦎 @bentkennedy]

@bronwen @EmploymentHero I was at a party where a girl who worked at Canva said the co was unethical for giving them free lunch instead of paying them more money. I reckon this sort of article is total yap people are unhinged and the people I do know that work there love it (men and women)

[Bronwen @bronwen]

@bentkennedy @MrWillRichards @EmploymentHero Ben, I stand by my journalism. If you think your "anecdotal" evidence from friends stacks up against multiple verified accounts presented with evidence - good luck in with your pitch deck. 😂

[Bronwen @bronwen]

Several former @EmploymentHero staff came forward after my story on IWD to share their experiences at the company, describing it as a "vile workplace" with "shoddy HR practices" and a "fear culture". The full story is here https://t.co/yJYe5lhpWP

[Bronwen @bronwen]

@bentkennedy I am not embarrassed at all - you assume too much.

Imagine not reading a detailed piece of reporting and having an opinion on what it says.

[Bronwen @bronwen]

@bnthompson Thanks for the comment Ben.
I'm not sure asking questions and printing your responses qualifies as 'disinformation'.

The story is here:
https://t.co/vkgEHMg5lf

[Bronwen @bronwen]

@bnthompson Thanks for the comment Ben.
I'm not sure asking questions and printing your responses qualifies as 'disinformation'.

The story is here:
https://t.co/vkgEHMg5lf

[Bronwen @bronwen]

Last week, Employment Hero CEO Ben Thompson made what he later described as a “bad dad joke” on X about Richard White. Women in tech see it more as a ”schoolboy dick joke" and believe it was a missed opportunity to address problems in the sector.

https://t.co/xHgR72ulGU

[Bronwen @bronwen]

Thanks Ben, I have included your response.
It's my job to ask questions. Also, I think it's worth subscribing to understand why many women had an issue with the post.
All the best.
https://t.co/xHgR72ulGU

[Ben Thompson @bnthompson]

Capital Brief wont let this go so I'll save you the $39 per month subscription to read my comments. I'm not on the board of TCA or WiseTech Global and I don't know Richard White personally. I do not have any detail of either board's deliberations or decisions. I also don't have any details of any of the allegations but I expect they will be investigated and dealt with appropriately. Given my complete lack of information I don't believe I'm in a position to make any judgements on these matters. Again, I sincerely hope that everyone involved, especially the complainants, are doing okay.

[John McDuling @jmcduling]

Major development. Scoop by @L_K_Henning

[Techmeme @Techmeme]

Canva acquires AI image generation service https://t.co/vGBMxTEBZ3 for an undisclosed amount; https://t.co/vGBMxTEBZ3 launched in December 2022 and has more than 19M registered users (Capital Brief)

https://t.co/qIU297Du8s
https://t.co/xRHkW3XDY5

[Capital Brief @CapitalBrief]

BREAKING: Canva has announced it will acquire https://t.co/LQy28jlkUN, an Australian text-to-image AI platform used by 19 million people.

It's Canva's second major acquisition of the year, coming three months after buying UK design company Affinity for an estimated $1 billion.

[John McDuling @jmcduling]

One of the biggest startup deals of the year - hugely significant for Canva itself but also the broader ecosystem

https://t.co/j5sMyk35ST @bronwen @dvanboom

[Bronwen @bronwen]

HUGE NEWS: @canva is to acquire @leonardoai
https://t.co/pJRoJ0VmI7