Adobe vs Midjourney: Founders, CEOs and History
Adobe was founded in 1982 by John Warnock, Charles Geschke and is led by Shantanu Narayen. Midjourney was founded in 2021 by David Holz and is led by David Holz.
Company facts
Adobe
- Founded
- 1982
- Headquarters
- San Jose, California
- Current CEO
- Shantanu Narayen
- Employees
- 31,360
Midjourney
- Founded
- 2021
- Headquarters
- San Francisco, California, United States
- Current CEO
- David Holz
- Employees
- 100
Founders
Adobe
John Warnock
Warnock co-founded Adobe with Charles Geschke in 1982. He served as chief executive officer until 2000 and helped lead the development of PostScript and PDF. He died in 2023.
Charles Geschke
Geschke co-founded Adobe in 1982 and helped develop PostScript. He remained an Adobe director until 2020 and died on April 16, 2021.
Midjourney
David Holz
David Holz is the founder and CEO of Midjourney, Inc. He previously co-founded Leap Motion in 2010 and served as its CTO, then started Midjourney in 2021 as a self-funded research lab.
CEOs and their tenures
Adobe
- John Warnock1982–2000
Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer
Warnock co-founded Adobe and led it through the introduction of PostScript, Illustrator, Photoshop, Acrobat, and PDF.
Source - Bruce Chizen2000–2007
Chief Executive Officer
Chizen led Adobe when it completed the Macromedia acquisition in 2005.
Source - Shantanu Narayen2007–present
Chair and Chief Executive Officer
Narayen has served as CEO since December 2007 and led Adobe's expansion of subscription services, Digital Experience, and Firefly.
Source
Midjourney
- David Holz2021–present
Founder & Chief Executive Officer
Founded Midjourney in 2021 after co-founding Leap Motion; has run it as a self-funded lab with no venture capital, overseeing the V1-V8 model line and the 2025 launch of Video V1.
Source - Philip Rosedale2022–present
Advisor
Provided critical early structural advice and scaled governance consulting for the rapidly growing generative AI image synthesis platform.
Source
Timeline: Adobe and Midjourney side by side
1982Adobe
Adobe founded
John Warnock and Charles Geschke founded Adobe after working together at Xerox.
1984Adobe
PostScript introduced
Adobe introduced PostScript, its first product and a foundation of desktop publishing.
1986Adobe
Adobe completes IPO
Adobe completed its initial public offering and its shares began trading on Nasdaq.
1987Adobe
Illustrator launched
Adobe introduced Illustrator for vector graphics.
1990Adobe
Photoshop 1.0 released
Adobe released the first version of Photoshop after licensing the software from Thomas and John Knoll.
1993Adobe
Acrobat and PDF introduced
Adobe introduced Acrobat and the Portable Document Format.
2000Adobe
Bruce Chizen becomes CEO
Bruce Chizen succeeded John Warnock as chief executive officer.
2005Adobe
Macromedia acquisition completed
Adobe completed its stock acquisition of Macromedia, adding products including Flash and Dreamweaver.
2007Adobe
Shantanu Narayen becomes CEO
Shantanu Narayen became Adobe's chief executive officer in December 2007.
2009Adobe
Omniture acquisition completed
Adobe acquired Omniture and expanded into web analytics and digital marketing software.
2013Adobe
Creative Cloud subscription shift
Adobe stopped developing new Creative Suite releases and focused future creative-software releases on Creative Cloud subscriptions.
2018Adobe
Marketo acquisition completed
Adobe completed its $4.75 billion acquisition of Marketo.
2021Adobe
Frame.io acquisition completed
Adobe completed its acquisition of Frame.io for approximately $1.275 billion.
2021Midjourney
Midjourney Founded in San Francisco by David Holz
Leap Motion co-founder David Holz founded Midjourney as a self-funded independent AI research lab.
2022Midjourney
Launches Midjourney V1 on Discord & Goes Viral Globally
Debuted text-to-image synthesis inside Discord, creating a worldwide spectator co-creation phenomenon.
2022Midjourney
Wins Colorado State Fair Digital Art Competition & Stirs Global Debate
An artwork generated with Midjourney ('Théâtre D'opéra Spatial') won first prize, sparking global debates on AI in fine art.
2022Midjourney
Holz says Midjourney is profitable
In August 2022 Holz said the company was already profitable without outside funding.
2023Adobe
Firefly launched
Adobe introduced Firefly generative-AI models and began integrating them into its applications.
2023Adobe
Figma agreement terminated
Adobe and Figma mutually terminated their proposed merger after concluding there was no clear path to regulatory approval.
2023Midjourney
Releases Midjourney V5 & The Viral Pope Puffer Jacket Moment
Launched photorealistic V5; viral Pope image demonstrated AI's alarming realism, sparking global deepfake debates.
2023Midjourney
V6 and growing Discord community
Revenue was estimated by outside analysts near $200 million in 2023; Midjourney does not disclose figures.
2024Midjourney
Launches Midjourney Web Studio & Consistency Parameters (--cref / --sref)
Expanded beyond Discord into a dedicated web canvas studio and introduced character consistency for storytellers.
2025Adobe
Fiscal 2025 revenue reaches $23.769 billion
Adobe reported $23.769 billion in revenue and $7.130 billion in net income for fiscal 2025.
2025Midjourney
Video V1 launch and studio lawsuits
Midjourney launched Video V1 in June 2025; Disney and Universal sued the same month, and Warner Bros. Discovery followed in September.
2026Adobe
Anil Chakravarthy named next CEO
Adobe appointed Anil Chakravarthy to become president and CEO on December 1, 2026, with Shantanu Narayen becoming executive chair.
2026Midjourney
V8 series released
V8 alpha launched March 17, 2026; V8.2 became the default model on July 24, 2026.
Acquisitions
Adobe
- Frame.io2021$1.3B
- Workfront2020$1.5B
- Magento Commerce2018$1.7B
- Marketo2018$4.8B
- Omniture2009$1.8B
- Macromedia2005$3.4B
Midjourney
No verified acquisitions are listed.
Questions about Adobe vs Midjourney
Who is the CEO of Adobe Inc. and Midjourney, Inc.?
Adobe Inc. is led by Shantanu Narayen and Midjourney, Inc. is led by David Holz. Both serve as the top executive responsible for the company's strategy, operations, and financial performance.
When was Adobe Inc. founded vs Midjourney, Inc.?
Adobe Inc. was founded in 1982 — 39 years before Midjourney, Inc., which was founded in 2021. Adobe Inc.'s longer operating history gives it a deeper track record but also potentially more institutional inertia compared to the younger Midjourney, Inc..
How many employees does Adobe Inc. have compared to Midjourney, Inc.?
Adobe Inc. employs approximately 31,360 people, while Midjourney, Inc. employs approximately 100. Adobe Inc. has the larger workforce at 31,360 employees, compared to Midjourney, Inc.'s 100. A higher headcount does not necessarily imply greater efficiency — it often reflects differences in business model (e.g., manufacturing vs. software).
Where are Adobe Inc. and Midjourney, Inc. headquartered?
Both Adobe Inc. and Midjourney, Inc. are headquartered in United States, meaning they operate under the same primary regulatory and tax environment.
Who founded Adobe Inc. and Midjourney, Inc.?
Adobe Inc. was founded by John Warnock, Charles Geschke. Midjourney, Inc. was founded by David Holz.
Which company has a longer operating history — Adobe Inc. or Midjourney, Inc.?
Adobe Inc. has been operating for approximately 44 years, making it the more established of the two companies. Midjourney, Inc. has been in operation for around 5 years. A longer operating history often signals greater institutional resilience and brand recognition, though it can also mean slower adaptation to new market conditions.
Figures come from each company's filings and the sources linked beside them. Amounts reported in another currency are shown in US dollars at an approximate rate and marked with ~. Back to the Adobe vs Midjourney overview