BREAKING: TechnologyOne Founder Tests Positive for "Sydney Values" After Court Testimony Reveals Symptoms

BRISBANE, QLD — In an unprecedented wave of disassociation not seen since that time a founder claimed his AI could predict lottery numbers, Brisbane's startup community is collectively backing away from long-time Queensland tech darling TechnologyOne following court revelations that have many wondering if founder Adrian Di Marco has spent too much time in Sydney.

"We used to namecheck TechnologyOne in every pitch deck," admitted Cameron Cliff, founder of Brisbane-based HR tech startup Capyble. "Now we're literally photoshopping their logo out of our 'Queensland Success Stories' slide and replacing it with, I don't know, literally any company that doesn't think mental health is an optional luxury feature for executives."

The mass distancing comes as Di Marco testified in Federal Court that he had no idea former Victorian manager Behnam Roohizadegan was working 18-hour days or suffering from poor mental health before being sacked in 2016, sparking a long-running unfair dismissal case that has lasted longer than most Queensland startups' runway.

The Sydney Contamination Theory

Local tech leaders are now privately suggesting that Di Marco's apparent shock at discovering executives have emotional needs might be the result of "Sydney contamination," a feared condition where Queensland business leaders spend too much time in NSW and return with bewildering notions like "work-life balance is for the weak" and "employee wellbeing is a passing fad."

"You hate to see it," said Josh Peterman, organiser of Brisbane's monthly Tech Founders Meetup. "One day you're a Queensland success story with wholesome Brisbane values, the next you're testifying in court that you had 'no recollection' of spreadsheets showing $500,000 in savings from firing a guy who later threatened to jump off a bridge. Classic Sydney move."

The "Sydney contamination" theory gained further traction when Di Marco told the court that Roohizadegan's $1 million salary should have apparently immunised him against workplace bullying.

"What I cared about was his behaviour as an executive on $1 million a year, which I found becoming more and more inappropriate," Di Marco testified, in what locals are calling "the most Sydney statement ever uttered in a Queensland court."

Rewriting the History Books

Following the testimony, several Brisbane accelerator programs have begun hastily editing their curriculum materials to remove references to TechnologyOne as a role model for aspiring Queensland tech founders.

"We're pivoting to focusing exclusively on Wotif now," said Holly Hudson, Program Manager at CoSpaces. "At least when Graeme Wood exits a room, people don't suddenly develop selective amnesia about spreadsheets."

The Queensland government's innovation department is reportedly scrambling to remove oversized photos of TechnologyOne headquarters from their "Queensland Success Stories" brochure and website. Sources tell The Rocket Advocate they're considering replacing them with pictures of literally anything else, including "that big pineapple on the Sunshine Coast" which "at least has the decency not to pretend work-life balance doesn't matter."

The Million-Dollar Revelation

During cross-examination, Di Marco insisted that Roohizadegan's compensation package – a $210,000 base salary plus uncapped bonuses forecast to reach $1 million – was not a factor in his dismissal, despite claiming no memory of a spreadsheet projecting TechnologyOne would save almost $500,000 that year with a different bonus scheme.

"Here's a guy who cannot work with his peers," Di Marco told the court. "It's a person who does not take 'no' for an answer. It's a person who gets upset easily on $1 million a year, and causes needless grief and angst for all those around him."

Local startup founders were quick to point out that Di Marco had just described approximately 90% of the Sydney tech ecosystem.

A New Standard of Success

In response to the ongoing court battle, a coalition of Brisbane startups has drafted what they're calling the "Anti-TechnologyOne Pledge," which commits signatories to remembering that executives are human beings even after their compensation packages exceed $500,000.

"We believe that not being a complete jerk about mental health is actually a competitive advantage for Queensland," said pledge organiser Trevor McCullough. "We're setting the bar pretty low here – basically just 'don't act like executives should be emotionally dead inside because you pay them well' – but apparently that's revolutionary in some circles."

The pledge also includes a provision requiring founders to maintain awareness of any spreadsheets they create that project savings from firing staff members, "no matter how convenient it might later be to develop total amnesia about them."

At press time, TechnologyOne had not responded to requests for comment, but sources close to the company suggested they were too busy calculating how much they could save by replacing their executive team with robots who don't have feelings to hurt.

The Rocket Advocate: Where Brisbane tech companies come when they need to be reminded Sydney-style management isn't a good look.