How Shantanu Narayen transformed Adobe

On Masters of Scale, we talk a lot about inflection points, those moments when a technology stops being optional and starts being fundamental. AI presents one of those moments, and behind every breakthrough, whether it's medical research or education or even cinematic visual effects, there's infrastructure most people never see. As the essential cloud for AI, CoreWeave is building that foundation. It provides a purpose built AI cloud designed specifically for pioneers at leading AI labs and enterprises ready to power the biggest ideas and the boldest ambitions. Ready for anything, ready for AI. To learn more about how CoreWeave powers the world's best AI, go to coreweave.com/ ready for anything. I wish I could look at you and say, we knew all of that upfront. We did. AI models are upending the market for tools that help people make things like illustrations and animations. But this isn't the first time Adobe CEO Shantanu Narayan, has had to lead the iconic software company through a moment of monumental change. He spearheaded Adobe's transition to a cloud based subscription model more than a decade ago. There was a lot of opposition from existing customers as well, because they were a little skeptical and or cynical about why Adobe was doing it, but there was a lot of excitement. This transformation wasn't just about the sales model for Adobe. It also revealed a more powerful way to respond to customers' needs. People would sit around the room. You'd say, hey, I think these three features are most important. I would say, no, I think these three features are most important. Perhaps the person who had the loudest voice won, you know, that particular battle, right? Today, it's just the opposite. Shantanu is as passionate as ever about helping customers unleash their creativity. This week, we'll hear how he stays nimble, curious, and competitive while leading a global team of more than 30,000 people. You gotta have incredible talent at every position. It's like this is a huge push. There are fires burning when you're going out. Can you believe it? You're such an idiot. And then you go back to, this is totally gonna be amazing. Mistake. But you have to time it right. Oops. Or if we have a three bedroom apartment Sustenance just seems absolutely not all ten years later, I'm like, well, that's just how how you do it. We have to say just how you do it. This is Masters of Scale. I'm Reid Hoffman, your host. Adobe makes essential software for creative professionals. There's Photoshop for editing images, Illustrator for creating designs, and now even its own generative AI imaging tool, Firefly. Altogether, Adobe's offerings brought in more than $21,000,000,000 in revenue last year. I wanted to talk to CEO Shantanu Narayan about how he ensures that his long established brand stays innovative. Shantanu, good to see you. Welcome to Masters of Scale. Thanks for having me, Reid. Excited. I've been looking forward to this a while. …