Adobe

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Adobe is a software company and brand known for creative tools, document solutions, and digital experience services.

Last updated October 12, 2026

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Overview

Adobe is a software company headquartered in San Jose, California, whose brand spans digital creativity, digital documents, and digital experiences. Founded by John Warnock and Charles Geschke in 1982, the company initially built its influence through PostScript and desktop-publishing technologies before expanding into image editing, illustration, page layout, video, and document software. Products such as Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, Premiere Pro, Acrobat, and Adobe Reader made Adobe widely recognized among creative professionals, businesses, and consumers. In later years, Adobe shifted much of its core portfolio toward subscription and cloud delivery, organizing products around Creative Cloud, Document Cloud, and Experience Cloud. The company also develops artificial intelligence, collaboration, digital marketing, and electronic-signature capabilities and operates across major international markets.

History

Adobe was founded in 1982 by John Warnock and Charles Geschke. Its early business centered on PostScript, a page-description technology that helped enable high-quality typography and printing across personal computers, printers, and desktop-publishing systems. Adobe later expanded into the broader digital-creative market through graphics, image-editing, and page-layout software. Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign became important tools in graphic design, publishing, photography, and advertising. Acrobat and PDF extended the company into cross-platform document exchange, reading, editing, and electronic signatures. As cloud computing developed, Adobe brought many of its desktop applications together under Creative Cloud, delivering continual updates, cloud storage, and collaboration through subscriptions. It also developed Document Cloud and Experience Cloud for enterprise document workflows, digital marketing, analytics, and customer-experience management. Adobe continues to base its business primarily on software subscriptions and cloud services while incorporating generative artificial intelligence into creative and document products.

2013
Transition to Creative Cloud Subscription Model
[3]Adobe Creative Cloudadobe.com
Adobe shifted its major creative software suite to the Creative Cloud subscription and cloud delivery model.
1993
Acrobat and PDF Ecosystem Formed
[4]Adobe Acrobatadobe.com
Adobe released Acrobat and related PDF technology, expanding into digital document creation, exchange, and reading.
1990
Photoshop Released
[6]Photoshop Releasedadobe.com
Adobe released Photoshop, which later became one of the most iconic products in digital image editing.
1987
Illustrator Released
[5]Illustrator Releasedadobe.com
Adobe released Illustrator, establishing its foundation in vector graphics and professional design software.
1982
Adobe Founded
[1]Adobe 官方公司简介adobe.com
John Warnock and Charles Geschke founded Adobe, with the company's early focus on the PostScript page description language.

Products and positioning

A digital creativity, document, and customer experience software platform for creative professionals, enterprises, and consumers.

Image editing software · 1990
Adobe Photoshop
Professional software for photography, graphic design, digital painting, and image compositing; it is one of Adobe’s best-known creative applications.
Vector graphics software · 1987
Adobe Illustrator
Vector-graphics software for logos, illustrations, and brand assets, primarily used by designers and visual-creative professionals.
PDF and document software · 1993
Adobe Acrobat
A product line for creating, editing, converting, reviewing, sharing, and signing PDF documents for individuals and organizations.
Video editing software
Adobe Premiere Pro
Nonlinear video-editing software for film, advertising, online video, and professional content production within Adobe Creative Cloud.
Creative software subscription platform · 2013
Adobe Creative Cloud
A subscription platform combining creative applications such as Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, and Premiere Pro with cloud assets, fonts, and collaboration features.

Controversies

2026
Trump administration suspends Microsoft, Adobe and six IT services firms from PERM green card sponsorship
On Oct. 8, 2026, the Trump administration announced it suspended Microsoft, Adobe and six IT services firms from the Labor Department's PERM program, which lets employers sponsor foreign workers for green cards. The administration barred the firms over claims they favor foreign workers. Data cited in the report shows Microsoft received more than 6,000 H-1B approvals last year, with about two-thirds going to people already working at the company, while larger H-1B sponsors Amazon and Meta were not suspended.
Source

2023
Adobe terminates proposed acquisition of Figma[11]Adobe终止对Figma的拟议收购news.adobe.com
M&A · Regulation
Adobe and Figma abandoned their proposed transaction after regulatory scrutiny in the United Kingdom and European Union raised competition concerns.
2023
Adobe introduces generative AI through Firefly[12]Adobe通过Firefly推出生成式AInews.adobe.com
Product launch · Other
Adobe launched Firefly as a family of generative-AI models and features for creative production, later integrating the technology into Creative Cloud and other products.
2017
Adobe announces the end of Flash Player distribution and support[13]Adobe宣布停止Flash Player的分发和支持blog.adobe.com
Other · Product generation
Adobe announced that it would stop distributing and supporting Flash Player at the end of 2020, reflecting the web’s shift toward HTML5 and other modern standards.
2014
Adobe and other technology companies settle employee compensation lawsuit[9]员工薪酬反垄断和解reuters.com
Lawsuit
Adobe joined Apple, Google, and Intel in settling litigation alleging agreements that restricted employee recruitment and suppressed compensation.
2013
Adobe reports major security breach[10]Adobe安全漏洞adobe.com
Other
Adobe disclosed a major intrusion involving source code and customer information, including encrypted payment-card data and account credentials.

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Overview

History

Products and positioning

Controversies

Recent events

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