Dec 7, 2007
Adobe’s new CEO zeroes in on Web
Source: USA Today
Longtime Adobe Systems (ADBE) executive Shantanu Narayenon Dec. 1 became CEO of the software powerhouse. An engineer who had previously worked at Apple (AAPL) and Silicon Graphics (SGIC), he took over from mentor Bruce Chizen, who stepped down.
Narayen takes over as Adobe, best known for Photoshop photo software and Acrobat and PDF digital document tools, is shifting many of its wares from boxed software to online services.
Adobe, which celebrates its 25th anniversary on Dec. 13, is a Web powerhouse with its Adobe Reader and Flash software. Narayen spoke with USA TODAY’s Jefferson Graham about Adobe’s transition, and why he believes two new initiatives for 2008 — Adobe’s Media Player and AIR, which connects desktop applications with the Web — have the potential to transform the $3 billion company.