Anil Chakravarthy named Adobe CEO, succeeding Shantanu Narayen

Adobe Inc. names company veteran Anil Chakravarthy as its next chief executive officer, effective December 1, 2026. Chakravarthy, who joined Adobe in 2020 and led its customer experience business, succeeds Shantanu Narayen, who has led the company since 2007. Narayen will transition to executive chair. The leadership change comes as Adobe navigates an ongoing artificial intelligence transformation and faces intensifying competition from AI upstarts.

Adobe CEO succession

• ▪Shantanu Narayen announced plans in March 2026 to step down as Adobe Inc. chief executive officer after leading the company for nearly two decades
• ▪Adobe Inc. named Anil Chakravarthy as its next chief executive officer, succeeding Shantanu Narayen

Chakravarthy career history

• ▪Anil Chakravarthy joined Adobe Inc. as a company veteran in January 2020
• ▪Anil Chakravarthy led Adobe Inc.'s customer experience, marketing, and analytics software business for six years prior to his appointment as chief executive officer

AI competition challenges

• ▪Adobe Inc. appointed Anil Chakravarthy as chief executive officer to lead the company through a challenging competition with artificial intelligence upstarts
• ▪The appointment of Anil Chakravarthy as Adobe Inc. chief executive officer occurs amid an ongoing artificial intelligence transformation for the technology company

Narayen executive chair transition

• ▪Shantanu Narayen has led Adobe Inc. as chief executive officer since 2007
• ▪Outgoing Adobe Inc. chief executive officer Shantanu Narayen will transition to the role of executive chair of the company

December leadership change

• ▪Adobe Inc. announced the executive leadership transition on September 3, 2026, ahead of the scheduled December handover
• ▪Anil Chakravarthy will officially assume the role of Adobe Inc. chief executive officer on December 1, 2026

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