Tesla Chair Robyn Denholm warns that Australia must act now or miss out on a $115 billion AI windfall. She says we’re still in “inning zero” and that waiting until a tech wave is “three-quarters over” is too late.
Denholm gathered with Google ANZ MD Mel Silva, federal minister Allegra Spender, and Executive Director of the Tech Council of Australia Kate Jones to discuss Women in Digital’s ‘Driving Change in Tech’ report this week. The conversation soon turned to why Australia needs to push forward in AI, now.
“You can’t do it when you’re three-quarters through a tech wave. You’ve got to do it as close to the beginning as you can,” Tesla Chair Robyn Denholm told the crowd at Salesforce Tower in Sydney.
“People think it’s all over because OpenAI is doing it, Google’s doing it. It’s not. It’s inning zero.”
At stake is a $115 billion opportunity, Denholm says. And that is if the nation adopts AI. Innovating the technology could be considerably more lucrative. “It could be 10X if we invent it,” says Denholm.
Reframing how people think about AI is imperative, the former Telstra CFO and Toyota VP says. It goes far beyond a chatbot.
“AI is probably the most misunderstood term today… it is not one thing – it’s a horizontal set of technologies,” says Denholm.
Denholm called on all founders, and particularly women, to seize the moment, build companies, and aim high. It is a call to action reiterated by Google managing director Silva, who uses a sporting analogy to explain the relationship between going for gold and having support while doing so.
“A great sponsor sees your spark, invests in it, and pushes you beyond your skis – but has your back while you do it,” says Silva.
Pushing the frontier forward inevitably comes with some failure, the panel agreed. And that is ok.
“You’re going to make mistakes. They’re going to be embarrassing. Learn to get over it quickly,” says federal minister Spender. “A friend said to me, ‘Forgive yourself now for the mistakes you’re going to make.’ It was the best advice I’ve ever received.”
An attitude of resilience will propel women, and the AI innovation economy, forward, says Denholm.
“Tech bros, don’t get comfortable. It’s inning zero,” the former TCA Chair quips.
Women In Digital released its ‘Driving Change in Tech‘ report this week. It reveals that flexible work has become an embedded part of the workforce, though women still face penalties for caregiving. The report is divided into three career stages: The Pipeline, the Missing Middle, and the Path to Progress.
The report states that the Pipeline conundrum is not just attracting women into the industry. “It’s ensuring they are retained, developed, and advanced into leadership roles at all ages and stages.” The following challenges were highlighted in the report:
- Support structures that taper off. Only 22% of employees over 55 see a clear path to promotion compared to 54% of those under 25.
- A gender discrepancy in confidence, with 60% of male respondents confident in applying for senior digital positions even if they don’t meet all criteria, compared to 45% of female respondents.
The “Missing Middle” is where cultural and structural barriers intensify, leading to stalled progression and attrition, the report states. “For many women in tech, career momentum slows mid-career, not due to a lack of ambition, but because workplace structures fail to support the realities of caregiving and flexible work,” according to Women in Digital.
- Despite progress, systemic barriers continue to undermine career advancement for caregivers, particularly women.
- Mid-career women face “hidden penalties”, with 49% believing having children hinders career progression and 35% agreeing that having children has or will limit opportunities for promotions, leadership or new responsibilities within their company.
- Part-time employees have fewer advancement opportunities, with just 29% feeling encouraged to apply for senior roles, compared to 46% of full-time employees
Deep-seated structural and cultural norms are difficult to shift, says Women in Digital CEO and founder Holly Hunt.
“The motherhood penalty hasn’t gone away, it’s just changed shape. This isn’t about women lacking confidence, it’s about the systems and cultures that still hinder progression.”
Holly Hunt, Women in Digital CEO
“Flexibility is now widely embraced, and that’s a win for everyone in tech. However, there is a lingering culture of presenteeism, where visibility and after-hours engagement are still seen as prerequisites for advancement, which disproportionately disadvantages caregivers,” says Hunt.
The Path to Progress explores aspects of the workplace and culture that drive the retention and progression of women in the industry.
- 81% of men agree that men in their workplace are supportive of women and their career paths, compared to 62% of women who agree with this statement.
- There is a strong connection between perceptions of a “boys club” and retention, with 89% of people who say they frequently or occasionally think of leaving the industry agreeing that an entrenched boys club exists in their workplace.
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