Shantanu Narayen announced he will step down as chief executive officer of Adobe after 18 years. He will remain at the company as chair of the board of directors. The departure timing depends on the board naming a successor.
Narayen led Adobe’s strategic shift from traditional software sales to a software-as-a-service model. The transition included the launch of the Creative Suite subscription service, later rebranded as Creative Cloud. This change affected customers using software such as Photoshop, Illustrator, Premiere, and Lightroom.
Under Narayen’s leadership, Adobe’s employee count grew from approximately 3,000 to more than 30,000. The company’s revenue increased from less than $1 billion to more than $25 billion during his tenure. These figures reflect the scale of the company’s expansion over 18 years.
Narayen expressed confidence in Adobe’s future in a memo to employees. He cited the company’s focus on AI, new workflows, and new forms of expression. He wrote, “The next era of creativity is being written right now — shaped by AI, by new workflows and by entirely new forms of expression.”
He also wrote, “Adobe has never waited for the future to arrive. We’ve anticipated it. We’ve built it. And we’ve led it.” He added, “What gives me the greatest confidence isn’t just our technology — it’s our people.” He stated that employee ingenuity, resilience, and commitment to customers will define the current moment.
Adobe is a technology company that provides creative, document, and marketing software solutions. The company’s stock ticker is ADBE. Narayen has served as CEO since 2007.
