Autodesk

Autodesk has stood as a colossus in the design software industry for over four decades, fundamentally transforming how professionals create, collaborate, and bring ideas to life. Founded in 1982 by a group of visionary programmers led by John Walker, the company revolutionized computer-aided design by making sophisticated design tools accessible on personal computers. What began as AutoCAD, a groundbreaking drafting program that digitized the traditional drafting table, has evolved into a comprehensive ecosystem of professional design software serving millions of users across architecture, engineering, construction, manufacturing, and media and entertainment industries worldwide.

Today, Autodesk operates as a software-as-a-service powerhouse with over $6 billion in annual revenue and a market capitalization exceeding $65 billion. The company's strategic transformation from perpetual software licenses to a subscription-based model between 2015 and 2020 positioned it for sustainable growth, with 97% of its revenue now recurring. Headquartered in San Francisco, California, Autodesk employs approximately 13,650 people globally following a 2025 restructuring that reduced its workforce by 9% to focus resources on artificial intelligence and cloud computing innovations. The company's flagship products—AutoCAD for 2D and 3D design, Revit for building information modeling (BIM), Maya for 3D animation, and Fusion 360 for product development—have become industry standards, powering everything from architectural masterpieces to Hollywood blockbusters.

Autodesk's vision to help people imagine, design, and create a better world drives its continued innovation in cloud-based collaboration, generative design, and AI-powered tools. The company has aggressively expanded its capabilities through strategic acquisitions, including Wonder Dynamics for AI-powered animation (2024), Golaem for crowd simulation (2024), and WorkForce Software integration partner PIX for production management (2024). With solutions deployed across 140+ countries and serving industries from automotive to aerospace, construction to entertainment, Autodesk maintains its position as the operating system for the built and manufactured world. The company's commitment to democratizing design technology while pushing the boundaries of what's possible through software continues to shape how humanity designs and creates in the 21st century.

As Autodesk navigates an increasingly competitive landscape with challengers like Dassault Systèmes and the Nemetschek Group, the company is doubling down on open standards, cloud-native collaboration, and AI-driven workflows. Under the leadership of CEO Andrew Anagnost, who has led the company since 2017, Autodesk is positioned to maintain its market dominance while adapting to an industry being reshaped by artificial intelligence, real-time collaboration, and the convergence of physical and digital design. With AutoCAD holding a commanding 39% market share in CAD software and Revit leading the BIM revolution, Autodesk's influence on how the world designs, builds, and makes things remains unparalleled.