From the very first time I met Dylan Field, 3 things were exceptionally obvious:

  • his love for design and the design community,
  • his ambition to change the way that we design things together, and
  • his confidence that he could change the way the world designs.

But I mean, look: it definitely was not obvious in the slightest. He and his co-founder Evan Wallace were unbelievably smart and had built a tiny, astonishingly talented team working by the train tracks in Palo Alto. It wasn’t obvious they could get anyone to want to design in a web browser (or that it was even very possible to get it working, honestly). It wasn’t obvious that they could challenge and change the way that designers viewed their work as mostly solo. And it wasn’t obvious that they could build a company to deliver their vision around the world even if they could build a compelling technology and product.

Well, it’s obvious now.

9 years after that meeting with Dylan in 2013, Figma has changed the way that we all design — and radically. Today design happens more together with others rather than solo. It’s an incredible contribution to the field of software design, with ripples and ramifications to how we build everything together.

Today Adobe and Figma announced that they’ve signed a deal to merge — a deal that both recognizes Figma’s decade of innovation and contribution to design, but also promises a fantastic, dynamic, collaborative future for creatives of all types. I’m excited about the past 10 years, but I’m even more excited about what’ll be possible now that Figma’s established a culture, community, and platform to build from. Figma, and the community that has built up around it, will be able to change even more about how we can design together in expressive, creative and inclusive ways.

From the first time I got to visit the tiny 7 person office by the train, getting to work with the Figma team has been one of the very highest privileges of my career. The organization that they’ve built over the years has included some of the most creative, smartest, most profoundly talented people in our industry. In my first draft of this note, I started listing some of the amazing people I’ve gotten to work with, and the list was just silly in its length, and I had to keep lengthening it because so many people of such high quality have contributed and continue to.

Beyond being just really, really good at design, technology and products, though, the thing I’m prouder of and admire more is the way that this is just a really, really good group of humans, who have built an organization that is inclusive, creative, joyful, thoughtful, playful, generous, and kind. They show me every day what it looks like when we can try to be the best people we can be.

Today’s certainly a milestone — an historic one in many ways — but it’s just the next step. Figma, together with Adobe, has got a crazy ambitious map for the future of how we design things together — even crazier than Figma’s was a decade ago. Is it obvious they’ll achieve so much in the next stage? Time will tell. But given what I’ve seen Figma do these past 10 years, I’ve got a pretty good feeling about the next 10, and beyond.

 

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Forward-Looking Statements
In addition to historical information, this communication contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of applicable securities law, including statements regarding the expected completion and effects of the proposed transaction, product plans, future growth, market opportunities, strategic initiatives and industry positioning. In addition, when used in this communication, the words “will,” “expects,” “could,” “would,” “may,” “anticipates,” “intends,” “plans,” “believes,” “seeks,” “targets,” “estimates,” “looks for,” “looks to,” “continues” and similar expressions, as well as statements regarding our focus for the future, are generally intended to identify forward-looking statements. Each of the forward-looking statements we make in this communication involves risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from these forward-looking statements. Factors that might cause or contribute to such differences include, but are not limited to: expected revenues, cost savings, synergies and other benefits from the proposed transaction, such as Adobe’s ability to enhance Creative Cloud by adding Figma’s collaboration-first product design capabilities and the effectiveness of Figma’s technology, might not be realized within the expected time frames or at all and costs or difficulties relating to integration matters, including but not limited to customer and employee retention, might be greater than expected; the requisite regulatory approvals and clearances for the proposed transaction may be delayed or may not be obtained (or may result in the imposition of conditions that could adversely affect the combined company or the expected benefits of the proposed transaction); the requisite approval of Figma stockholders may be delayed or may not be obtained, the other closing conditions to the transaction may be delayed or may not be obtained, or the merger agreement may be terminated; business disruption may occur following or in connection with the proposed transaction; Adobe’s or Figma’s businesses may experience disruptions due to transaction-related uncertainty or other factors making it more difficult to maintain relationships with employees, customers, other business partners or governmental entities; the possibility that the proposed transaction is more expensive to complete than anticipated, including as a result of unexpected factors or events; diversion of management’s attention from ongoing business operations and opportunities as a result of the proposed transaction or otherwise and those factors discussed in the section titled “Risk Factors” in Adobe’s Annual Report on Form 10-K and Adobe’s Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q. The risks described in this communication and in Adobe’s filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) should be carefully reviewed. Undue reliance should not be placed on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date they are made. Adobe and Figma undertake no obligation to publicly release any revisions to the forward-looking statements or reflect events or circumstances after the date of this communication, except as required by law.
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Additional Information and Where to Find It
In connection with the proposed acquisition of Figma, Adobe will file a registration statement on Form S-4 with the SEC to register the shares of Adobe common stock to be issued in connection with the proposed transaction. The registration statement will include a consent solicitation statement/prospectus, which will be sent to the stockholders of Figma seeking their approval of the proposed transaction.
INVESTORS AND SECURITY HOLDERS ARE URGED TO READ THE REGISTRATION STATEMENT ON FORM S-4, THE CONSENT SOLICITATION STATEMENT/PROSPECTUS INCLUDED WITHIN THE REGISTRATION STATEMENT ON FORM S-4 AND ANY OTHER RELEVANT DOCUMENTS FILED OR TO BE FILED WITH THE SEC IN CONNECTION WITH THE PROPOSED TRANSACTION WHEN THEY BECOME AVAILABLE BECAUSE THESE DOCUMENTS DO AND WILL CONTAIN IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT ADOBE, FIGMA AND THE PROPOSED TRANSACTION.
Investors and security holders may obtain copies of these documents, when available, as well as other documents filed by Adobe with the SEC, free of charge from the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov or by accessing Adobe’s website at http://www.adobe.com/investor-relations or by contacting Adobe’s Investor Relations department by calling (408) 536-4700, by writing to Investor Relations, Adobe Inc., 345 Park Avenue, San Jose, California 95110-2704 or by sending an email to adobe@kpcorp.com.
WRITTEN BY

John Lilly

Venture Partner

John has backed entrepreneurs that improve the way we work, collaborate and connect with each other.

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