Matt Barrie was born in Adelaide in 1973. He completed a master's degree in electrical engineering at Stanford University in 1998. In 2001 he began teaching computer and network security at the University of Sydney.
He founded Freelancer.com in 2009. Employers post a job and freelancers bid for it. The company later added contests where freelancers compete for prize money. In 2010 Barrie began teaching technology venture creation at the University of Sydney.
Freelancer listed on the ASX in 2013 under the code FLN. It bought Escrow.com in 2015, Prolancer and Nubelo in 2016, Channel 40 in 2018 and Loadshift in 2021.
In December 2015 the Information Commissioner found that the company breached the Privacy Act over a former user's data, and ordered A$20,000 in damages.