Adobe Names New CEO: A Leader Without Photoshop Experience
Adobe has made a surprising move by appointing Anil Chakravarthy as its new President and CEO, effective December 1st. This announcement comes a week after Adobe’s Q3 earnings report.
Anil Chakravarthy, who currently serves as the President of Customer Experience Orchestration Business at Adobe, is taking over from Shantanu Narayen, who will transition to Executive Chair. Chakravarthy’s background lies in digital experience and field operations, having previously led enterprise data company Informatica for four years.
Chakravarthy’s rise within Adobe began in January 2020 when he joined to head Digital Experience. He later added worldwide field operations in September of the same year and became President of both divisions by December 2021.
Inside Adobe, Chakravarthy has focused on enterprise software rather than creative tools. His responsibilities included CX Enterprise, GenStudio, Brand Visibility, scaling the Adobe Experience Platform, and overseeing the acquisitions of Workfront and Semrush—a clear marketing and data lineage.
Why this is seen as a strategic move:
Adobe’s creative tools, like Photoshop, face direct threats from generative models, with competitors rapidly gaining ground. While Freepik (now Magnific) has achieved significant success as a profitable AI-driven creative platform, customer experience orchestration faces no comparable threat. Enterprise data systems rely on integration depth and switching costs rather than model quality for defense.
Appointing Chakravarthy, who built Adobe’s enterprise operations, signals the board’s belief in durable growth coming from this segment, not necessarily denigrating the creative business but prioritizing it.
Chakravarthy himself expressed enthusiasm:
"I’m energized by the opportunity to drive Adobe’s leadership in ‘the next era of agentic software for creativity, productivity, and customer experience.’"
Narayen echoed this sentiment, expressing confidence that Chakravarthy is the ideal person to guide Adobe through an AI-driven future.
Looking at Semrush Acquisition:
The acquisition of Semrush, a search and marketing intelligence company, further hints at Adobe’s focus on preparing brands for a world where AI systems will be integral to marketing strategies.