Adobe CEO Shantanu Narayen says he will step down as CEO after successor has been named

Narayen joined Adobe in 1988 as a vice president and general manager, and he became CEO in 2007. Under Narayen, Adobe pushed from software licenses to subscriptions to its Creative Cloud application bundle, and the company is now working to expand through generative artificial intelligence. He sought to acquire fast-growing design software company Figma, but regulators pushed back, and the companies called off the deal, resulting in Adobe paying Figma a $1 billion breakup fee.

“On behalf of the Board, I want to recognize Shantanu’s contributions as CEO and architect of Adobe’s transformation over the past 18 years, and for positioning Adobe for success in the AI-driven era,” Frank Calderoni, Adobe’s lead independent director, was quoted as saying in a statement. “As we take the next step in succession planning, we are focused on selecting the right leader for this next exciting chapter of the company’s growth and are grateful for Shantanu’s continued leadership as CEO to ensure a smooth transition.”

Narayen, 62, is lead independent director of Pfizer in addition to his responsibilities at Adobe, where he received $51 million in total compensation for the 2025 fiscal year, according to a filing. He owns $118 million in Adobe shares, according to FactSet.

In a memo to employees, Narayen wrote that he’s staying on the board to support the next Adobe CEO, just as co-founders John Warnock and Charles “Chuck” Geschke did when he became chief.

“What attracted me to Adobe 28 years ago was our leadership in creating new market categories, world-class products, a relentless desire to innovate in every functional area of the company and the people I met during the interview process,” Narayen wrote. “We have continued to create new markets, deliver world-class products, drive innovation in everything we do and attract and retain the best and brightest employees.”

On Narayen’s watch, Adobe’s stock jumped more than sixfold, while the S&P 500 is up about 350% over that stretch.

In addition to making the leadership announcement, Adobe reported strong results and guidance.

Here’s how the company did in comparison with LSEG consensus:

• Earnings per share: $6.06 adjusted vs. $5.87 expected
• Revenue: $6.40 billion vs. $6.28 billion expected

Adobe’s revenue grew about 12% year over year in the quarter, which ended on Feb. 27, according to a statement.

With respect to guidance, Adobe called for 5.80 to $5.85 in fiscal second-quarter adjusted earnings per share on $6.43 billion to $6.48 billion billion in revenue. Analysts polled by LSEG were looking for $5.68 per share and $6.42 billion in revenue.

Investors have been punishing software stocks because of concerns about disruption from generative AI models. Adobe shares were down nearly 23% so far in 2026 as of Thursday’s close, while the S&P 500 index was down about 3% in the same period. The stock is more than 60% off its record from 2021 after dropping more than 20% in each of the past two years.

Revenue from subscriptions for creative and marketing professionals totaled $4.39 billion, up 12% and above the $4.31 billion consensus among analysts polled by StreetAccount.

During the quarter, Adobe announced the availability of Acrobat, Express and Photoshop apps for OpenAI’s ChatGPT assistant, along with an expanded partnership with advertising company WPP.

Executives will discuss the results on a conference call starting at 5 p.m. ET.

— CNBC’s Ari Levy contributed to this report.

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