Adobe, known for Photoshop, replaced its chief for the first time in 19 years.
Adobe said on the 3rd (local time) that it has appointed President Anil Chakravarthy, who has led its marketing and analytics software business, as the next chief executive officer (CEO). Chakravarthy, the incoming CEO, is scheduled to take office on Dec. 1. Shantanu Narayen, the current CEO who has led Adobe since 2007, will move to the role of chair of the board.
Chakravarthy, the incoming CEO, joined Adobe in January 2020. The division led by Chakravarthy posted $5.86 billion (about 7.96 trillion won) in revenue in fiscal 2025. That is about one-fourth of Adobe's total revenue. He is credited with leading the effort to introduce artificial intelligence (AI) agent capabilities across the division's products. Before joining Adobe, he served as CEO of Informatica, a data integration subsidiary of Salesforce, Inc.
In a statement the same day, Chakravarthy, the incoming CEO, said, "I am excited to have the opportunity to help Adobe secure a leading position in the next-generation agentic software era."
Adobe's key software, including Photoshop, has established itself as the standard tool in creative industries such as design and marketing. But on Wall Street, there is growing concern that the spread of Generative AI could weaken the competitiveness of major incumbent software corporations including Adobe. As simple visual content can now be easily produced with AI editing tools without using Adobe's expensive products, the market is watching how Adobe will respond to maintain its market edge.
Bloomberg News said, "Chakravarthy, the incoming CEO, faces the tough task of intense competition with AI corporations."