Australia's business culture needs to change to encourage innovation and start-up companies, the boss of technology giant Microsoft's local operations says.
Pip Marlow, managing director of Microsoft Australia, said Australians are more pessimistic than Americans when thinking about business opportunities.
If an American was told about someone working on their fifth start-up after four failures, they would be very enthusiastic about their future, Ms Marlow told a business lunch.
But an Australian would commiserate about the failures.
"We don't embrace that in this country as much; we've got to change that culture," Ms Marlow said.
Ms Marlow has been managing director of Microsoft Australia since 2011, and has worked at the global tech giant since 1995.
