Adobe will spend $20 billion to acquire collaborative design platform Figma, the two companies announced on Thursday. The deal, which is approximately half cash and half stock, is expected to close in 2023. While Adobe is a juggernaut in the design world, Figma has been, over the past 10 years, a pioneer of product design on the web. Over time, the platform has amassed millions of users, including a loyal student following, as Adobe pointed out.
Once the transaction closes, Dylan Field, co-founder and CEO of Figma, will continue to lead the Figma team. He will report to David Wadhwani, president of Adobe’s Digital Media division. “Adobe is deeply committed to maintaining Figma’s autonomy,” Dylan Field said in a blog post, adding that he will work with David Wadhwani on how to continue to grow Figma’s business.
“The entire Figma team will report to me. We plan to continue to run Figma as we always have – continuing to do what we believe is best for our community, our culture, and our business. »
New perspectives for Adobe
That said, the Figma boss conceded that “it’s a big change, especially for a platform you rely on every day.” And to detail what the acquisition will mean for the Figma platform and its users. For example, the company will be able to enhance the platform by integrating Adobe’s areas of expertise, including imaging, photography, illustration, video, 3D, and font technologies.
“Additionally, we will have the opportunity to reimagine what the best creative tools within the Figma technology stack might look like,” says Dylan Field. Figma continues to expand into new areas over time while simultaneously improving products like Figma Design, FigJam, and the Figma Community Platform. The Friends of Figma program will continue to expand to new communities.
On the Adobe side, it is argued that “the combination of Adobe and Figma communities will bring designers and developers together to unlock the future of collaborative design.” There are currently no plans to change the pricing of Figma, and the platform will remain free for the education sector. In interface design, Figma has gone from challenger to market leader in the space of 10 years, neck and neck with Sketch and Adobe XD. In 2012, the American publisher created software for the development of mobile applications and websites.
Source: ZDNet.com