Which CEO became the CEO of Adobe in 2007 and expanded its cloud-based subscription model?

Shantanu Narayen became Adobe’s CEO in 2007 and later helped transform the company into a cloud-subscription powerhouse.

Adobe announced in November 2007 that Narayen would replace Bruce Chizen, with the change taking effect on December 1. Narayen had already been Adobe’s president and chief operating officer since 2005, after joining the company in 1998.

His leadership coincided with Adobe’s shift away from selling boxed desktop software toward recurring subscriptions. Creative Cloud, launched in 2012, brought programs such as Photoshop and Illustrator together with regular updates and online services. Adobe also expanded beyond creative tools, including its 2009 acquisition of web-analytics company Omniture.

A common mix-up is confusing Narayen with Adobe founders Charles Geschke and John Warnock, or with his predecessor Bruce Chizen. Narayen is the executive associated with Adobe’s long cloud transition, not the company’s founding era.