Adobe

Adobe Inc., formerly known as Adobe Systems Incorporated, is an American computer software company headquartered in San Jose, California. Here are some key points about the company:

Founding and History

Adobe was founded in December 1982 by John Warnock and Charles Geschke, who left Xerox PARC to develop and sell the PostScript page description language. The company played a significant role in the desktop publishing revolution, particularly after Apple Computer licensed PostScript for use in its LaserWriter printers in 19852.

Products and Services

Adobe offers a wide range of software and services, including:

• Creative Tools: Flagship products such as Adobe Photoshop for image editing, Adobe Illustrator for vector-based illustration, and Adobe Premiere Pro for video editing.
• Document Management: Adobe Acrobat and the Portable Document Format (PDF), which was introduced in 1993 and became an ISO international standard in 2008.
• Digital Marketing: Adobe has expanded into digital marketing software and is a leader in Customer Experience Management (CXM).
• Creative Cloud: A subscription-based service that replaced the Adobe Creative Suite, providing access to a suite of creative applications.
• Adobe Stock: A microstock agency offering over 57 million high-resolution, royalty-free images and videos.
• Adobe Experience Platform: A suite of content, development, and customer relationship management products, including the Sensei artificial intelligence and machine learning framework2.

Acquisitions and Expansions

Adobe has grown through several acquisitions, including Macromedia, which brought products like Flash and Dreamweaver into its portfolio. Other notable acquisitions include Aldus (gaining PageMaker and After Effects) and Fotolia, a stock content marketplace integrated into Adobe Stock2.

Operations and Employees

As of 2022, Adobe has more than 26,000 employees worldwide. The company has major development operations in various locations in the United States and India, including Noida and Bangalore2.

Criticisms and Legal Issues

Adobe has faced criticism and legal challenges, particularly regarding its switch to subscription-only pricing for Adobe Creative Cloud and early termination fees. This led to a joint civil lawsuit from the US Federal Trade Commission and the U.S. Department of Justice in 20242.

Recent Developments

Adobe continues to innovate, with recent updates including the introduction of AI assistants in its Adobe Acrobat Reader, which enhances PDF management and editing capabilities3.