The Pulse #74: Adobe Can’t buy Figma: the Impact of this on the Tech Industry

Regulators were always unlikely to allow Adobe’s $20B acquisition of Figma, and this intervention will have a ripple effect.Even fewer Big Tech companies buying startups. We analyze what it all means.

This week, I’m switching things around. Today (Tuesday) we catch up with recent events with The Pulse, Thursday will be the last issue of 2023, and next week I’ll be on winter break.

The Pulse is a series covering insights, patterns, and trends within Big Tech and startups. Notice an interesting event or trend? Send me a message.

Today, we cover:

Industry pulse. A roundup of recent events, with commentary. 

Adobe cannot acquire Figma: the impact of this on the industry. In a decision that came as a surprise to some in tech, Adobe’s biggest acquisition yet will not go ahead. The intervention by regulators to block Adobe’s $20B bid to buy a competitor threatening its market dominance will have plenty of implications. We cover:

1. Why did Adobe want to buy Figma, anyway?

2. Would Adobe + Figma create a de facto monopoly?

3. Regulatory concerns in the US, EU and UK

4. US and EU reach the same antitrust conclusions

5. What does the deal falling through mean for Figma, its employees, and for Adobe?

6. What does it mean for tech companies, founders, and software engineers?

Industry pulse

Is Mistral the “European OpenAI?”