By David Swan
Publication Date: 2025-11-21 00:55:00
Their stories highlight both the extraordinary opportunities and worrying brain drain facing Australia’s tech sector.
Andrew Tulloch: The Billion Dollar Brain
Andrew Tulloch has left the AI start-up he co-founded to join Meta.
If there’s one face to the sheer financial insanity of AI talent wars in 2025, it’s Andrew Tulloch. The man behind the $1.5 billion headline isn’t a “move fast and break things” programmer. Tulloch’s background is steeped in Australian academic excellence. His resume speaks for itself, although industry insiders describe him as shy and careful to keep a low profile.
He graduated from one of Perth’s most exclusive private schools, Christ Church Grammar, in 2007 with the highest possible university entrance rank (now ATAR) of 99.95. He was the school’s vice-captain, captain of the debate team and a member of the first XI cricket and hockey teams. He studied at the University of Sydney, graduating in 2011 with first class honors and a University Medal in Advanced Placement.
