# Benjamin Humphrey

> Benjamin Humphrey is the Sydney-based co-founder and CEO of Dovetail, a customer intelligence software company founded with former Atlassian colleague Bradley Ayers in 2017. Raised in Christchurch, he studied computer science at the University of Otago without graduating, founded the Ubuntu Manual Project, and worked at Loop, AVOS and Atlassian before starting Dovetail. His work centers on making customer knowledge accessible to the teams deciding what to build.

- **Role:** Co-founder & CEO at Dovetail
- **Organizations:** Dovetail, Atlassian, AVOS, Loop, Ubuntu Manual Project, OMG! Ubuntu!
- **Education:** Computer Science studies; did not graduate, University of Otago
- **Known for:** Founded the Ubuntu Manual Project to provide internationalized Ubuntu documentation., Co-founded Dovetail with Bradley Ayers in 2017., Dovetail announced more than 2,600 customers and a 65-person team with its January 2022 Series A.

## Career timeline

- **2010** — Led the Ubuntu Manual Project; organized a 48-hour community learning event.
- **2011** — Interviewed Linus Torvalds for OMG! Ubuntu! and joined web development agency Loop; subsequently worked at AVOS on Delicious.
- **2013** — Moved to Sydney to join Atlassian as a product designer.
- **2015** — Worked on a diary study whose analysis process helped inspire Dovetail.
- **2017** — Left Atlassian and co-founded Dovetail with Bradley Ayers.
- **2020** — Blackbird published investment notes on Dovetail, describing its three-person team and hundreds of customers in 2019.
- **2022** — Dovetail announced a US$63 million Series A led by Accel at a valuation above US$700 million.
- **2024** — Presented Dovetail’s AI Magic features at Insight Out 2024.
- **2026** — Published an argument for on-demand research synthesis and introduced Dovetail’s Sun’s Out launch and public company handbook.

## Achievements

- Founded the Ubuntu Manual Project to provide internationalized Ubuntu documentation.
- Co-founded Dovetail with Bradley Ayers in 2017.
- Dovetail announced more than 2,600 customers and a 65-person team with its January 2022 Series A.
- His current biography describes Dovetail serving over 4,000 organizations, including 20% of the Fortune 500.
- Reports raising A$46,129 for Vinnies across the 2024 and 2025 CEO Sleepout events.

## Latest updates

- **2026-07** — Published Dovetail’s 76-page By default company handbook on July 20.
- **2026-07** — Introduced Digital Twins, generally available Agents and Channels 2.0 in closed beta in the July 14 Sun’s Out product launch.
- **2026-05** — Published From compile time to run time on May 27, arguing for research synthesis at the moment a stakeholder asks a question.
- **2026-05** — UXDX lists his Platform UX conversation with Fahad Osmani at UXDX USA May 2026.
- **2025-12** — Published Nakasendo Trail photographs taken on a Canon New F-1.

## Links

- Website: https://benjaminhumphrey.com/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/humphreybc/
- Twitter/X: https://x.com/humphreybc
- GitHub: https://github.com/humphreybc

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/benjamin-humphrey
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-10-13