Autodesk vs BYD: Founders, CEOs and History
Autodesk was founded in 1982 by John Walker, Dan Drake, Mike Ford and is led by Andrew Anagnost. BYD was founded in 1995 by Wang Chuanfu, Lu Xiangyang and is led by Wang Chuanfu.
Company facts
Founders
Autodesk
John Walker
Autodesk was founded in January 1982 by John Walker with Dan Drake and 14 other programmers, who pooled about $59,000 of their own money and incorporated the company in California on April 26, 1982. There was no single product plan.
Dan Drake
Dan Drake is a software engineer and Autodesk co-founder, named alongside John Walker in the company's founding records.
Mike Ford
Mike Ford was one of Autodesk's 16 original co-founders. While John Walker and Dan Drake worked on AutoCAD itself, Ford worked on marketing and sales, including the dealer network that distributed the product, and on tracking Autodesk's position against other…
BYD
Wang Chuanfu
Wang Chuanfu founded BYD in Shenzhen in 1995 with his cousin Lu Xiangyang to make rechargeable batteries for mobile phones.
Lu Xiangyang
Lu Xiangyang put up the early capital when Wang Chuanfu started BYD in 1995 and has sat on BYD's board ever since, now as a non-executive director. His stake in BYD made him one of China's richest people.
CEOs and their tenures
Autodesk
- John Walker1982–1986
Co-founder, President and Chief Executive Officer
Walker co-founded Autodesk in January 1982, acquired Michael Riddle's Interact drafting program in exchange for royalties, co-wrote the first versions of AutoCAD from it and led the company to its 1985 listing.
Source - Alvar J. Green1986–1992
President and Chief Executive Officer
Green joined Autodesk as chief financial officer in 1984 and succeeded co-founder John Walker as president and chief executive in November 1986, the company's first chief executive who was not a founder.
Source - Carol Bartz1992–2006
Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer
Bartz was hired from Sun Microsystems in April 1992 after a six-month search and ran Autodesk for fourteen years.
Source - Carl Bass2006–2017
Chief Executive Officer
Bass ran Autodesk for eleven years after joining through its 1993 purchase of Ithaca Software.
Source - Andrew Anagnost2017–present
President and Chief Executive Officer
Anagnost joined Autodesk in 1997 and became president and chief executive in June 2017, finishing the move from perpetual licenses to subscriptions.
Source
BYD
- Wang Chuanfu1995–present
Founder, Chairman and President (CEO)
Wang Chuanfu has run BYD since founding it in 1995. He moved the company from phone batteries into cars in 2003, launched the first mass-produced plug-in hybrid in 2008, introduced the Blade Battery in 2020 and ended combustion-only car production in 2022.
Source - Lu Xiangyang1995–present
Co-Founder and Non-Executive Director
Lu Xiangyang, Wang Chuanfu's cousin and a former banker, provided early capital for BYD in 1995 and has remained on the board, now as a non-executive director.
Source - Stella Li1996–present
Executive Vice President; CEO of BYD Americas and Europe
Stella Li joined BYD in September 1996 as a marketing manager for exports, opened its first overseas office in Hong Kong in 1997 and set up its European headquarters in 1999.
Source
Timeline: Autodesk and BYD side by side
1982Autodesk
Autodesk founded and AutoCAD launched
John Walker, Dan Drake and 14 other programmers pooled about $59,000 and incorporated Autodesk in California on April 26, 1982.
1985Autodesk
Initial public offering on Nasdaq
Autodesk became a public company in 1985 under the ticker ADSK. Walker wrote at the first founders' meeting afterwards that the group had committed its own money in January 1982 and reached the public markets three years later without outside investors.
1986Autodesk
John Walker hands the chief executive role to Alvar Green
Alvar J. Green, who had joined Autodesk as chief financial officer in 1984, succeeded co-founder John Walker as president and chief executive in November 1986. Walker returned to writing code and stayed at the company until 1994.
1989Autodesk
Sales pass $100 million
Autodesk's sales passed $100 million in 1989. AutoCAD Release 2.1, shipped in 1986 with the AutoLISP interpreter, had allowed outside developers to build industry-specific add-ons, which widened the product's market well beyond general drafting.
1992Autodesk
Carol Bartz hired as chairman, president and chief executive
Autodesk ended a six-month search in April 1992 by hiring Carol Bartz from Sun Microsystems. She stopped the company's diversification outside computer-aided design and took revenue from $285 million to $952 million by fiscal 2004.
1995BYD
BYD founded in Shenzhen
Wang Chuanfu and his cousin Lu Xiangyang start BYD in Shenzhen with about 20 employees, making rechargeable batteries for mobile phones.
2000BYD
Becomes a leading NiCd battery maker
BYD becomes one of the world's largest makers of nickel-cadmium batteries, supplying major electronics brands.
2002Autodesk
Revit Technology Corporation acquired for $133 million
Autodesk bought Massachusetts-based Revit Technology Corporation in February 2002 for $133 million, adding the parametric building information modeling product that grew into its largest product family.
2002BYD
Hong Kong listing
BYD lists its H shares on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange under stock code 1211.
2003BYD
Buys Qinchuan and enters the car business
BYD acquires a controlling stake in Xi'an Qinchuan Automobile for about $37.4 million (CN¥269 million), gaining a car production licence and factory.
2006Autodesk
Carl Bass promoted to chief executive and Alias acquired
Carl Bass, who had joined Autodesk through its 1993 purchase of Ithaca Software, was promoted to president and chief executive in 2006, with Bartz becoming the company's first executive chairman.
2008BYD
Berkshire Hathaway takes about 10%
Berkshire Hathaway's MidAmerican Energy invests $232 million for about 10% of BYD, giving the company international credibility.
2008BYD
Launches the F3DM plug-in hybrid
BYD launches the F3DM, the world's first mass-produced plug-in hybrid car, two years before the Chevrolet Volt.
2010BYD
Denza joint venture with Daimler
BYD and Daimler set up Denza as a 50:50 joint venture to build premium electric cars in China.
2011BYD
Launches the e6 and lists in Shenzhen
BYD launches the e6 electric crossover, first used as a taxi in Shenzhen, and lists A shares on the Shenzhen Stock Exchange (002594).
2016Autodesk
Perpetual licenses withdrawn from core products
Autodesk stopped selling new perpetual licenses for its core desktop products, moving customers onto subscriptions. Reported revenue fell to $2.031 billion in fiscal 2017 with a net loss of $582 million before the subscription base began to compound.
2017Autodesk
Andrew Anagnost becomes president and chief executive
Andrew Anagnost, who joined Autodesk in 1997, became president and chief executive in June 2017 and completed the transition to subscriptions that had begun under Carl Bass.
2018Autodesk
PlanGrid and BuildingConnected bought for $1.15 billion
Autodesk completed its $875 million purchase of the construction field software PlanGrid on December 20, 2018 and agreed the same week to pay $275 million for the bid-management platform BuildingConnected, spending $1.15 billion to move from designing building…
2020BYD
Launches the Blade Battery
BYD introduces the Blade Battery, an LFP cell-to-pack design that passes the nail penetration test without fire.
2021Autodesk
Innovyze acquired for $1 billion
Autodesk paid $1 billion for Innovyze, which models water and wastewater networks, extending its infrastructure products from design into the operation of municipal water systems.
2022BYD
Ends combustion-only car production
In March 2022 BYD stops making combustion-only passenger cars and focuses entirely on battery EVs and plug-in hybrids.
2023Autodesk
Autodesk AI announced at Autodesk University
On November 13, 2023 in Las Vegas, Autodesk announced Autodesk AI, machine learning features built into its products to automate repetitive work, analyze project data and support design exploration.
2023BYD
Passes Tesla in quarterly BEV sales
BYD sells 3.02 million new energy vehicles in 2023, and its 526,409 battery EVs in the fourth quarter top Tesla's 484,507 for the first time in a quarter.
2024BYD
Takes full ownership of Denza
Mercedes-Benz sells its last 10% of Denza in July 2024, leaving BYD as the sole shareholder of its premium brand.
2025Autodesk
Restructuring and a cooperation agreement with Starboard Value
Autodesk cut about 1,350 roles in early 2025. On April 24, 2025 it agreed to add Jeff Epstein and Christie Simons to its board under a cooperation agreement with Starboard Value, ending the campaign the activist investor had run since June 2024.
2025BYD
Berkshire Hathaway exits
Berkshire Hathaway confirms in September 2025 that it has sold its entire BYD stake, ending a 17-year investment.
2025BYD
Becomes the world's top battery EV seller
BYD sells 2.26 million battery EVs in 2025 against Tesla's 1.64 million, and 4.6 million new energy vehicles in total.
2026Autodesk
Fiscal 2026 revenue of $7.21 billion
Autodesk reported revenue of $7.206 billion for the year to January 31, 2026, up 18 percent, with net income of $1.124 billion, free cash flow of $2.409 billion, up 54 percent, and remaining performance obligations of $8.30 billion.
2026Autodesk
MaintainX agreed for about $3.6 billion
On May 28, 2026 Autodesk agreed to acquire MaintainX, a maintenance and operations software company, in an all-cash deal valued at about $3.6 billion, its largest acquisition. MaintainX expected annual recurring revenue above $135 million in 2026.
2026Autodesk
Products grouped into three industry clouds with agentic AI
At Autodesk University on September 15, 2026 Autodesk previewed agentic AI across three industry clouds: Autodesk Forma for architecture, engineering and construction, Autodesk Fusion for design and manufacturing, and Autodesk Flow for media and entertainment.
2026BYD
Unveils Blade Battery 2.0 and FLASH charging
On March 5, 2026 BYD unveils the second-generation Blade Battery, which charges from 10% to 70% in about five minutes, and plans 20,000 FLASH charging stations in China by the end of 2026.
2026BYD
Overseas revenue passes China
In the first half of 2026 BYD's overseas revenue of ~$25.2 billion (CN¥181.3 billion) exceeds revenue from China for the first time, even as group revenue falls 7.1% to ~$47.9 billion (CN¥344.8 billion).
Acquisitions
Autodesk
- MaintainX2026$3.6B
- Innovyze2021$1B
- Spacemaker2020$240M
- BuildingConnected2018$275M
- PlanGrid2018$875M
- Delcam2014$286M
BYD
- Denza (remaining stake from Mercedes-Benz)2024Undisclosed
- Jabil mobile electronics manufacturing business (China)2023$2B
- Xi'an Qinchuan Automobile2003$32M
Questions about Autodesk vs BYD
Who is the CEO of Autodesk, Inc. and BYD Company Ltd?
Autodesk, Inc. is led by Andrew Anagnost and BYD Company Ltd is led by Wang Chuanfu. Both serve as the top executive responsible for the company's strategy, operations, and financial performance.
When was Autodesk, Inc. founded vs BYD Company Ltd?
Autodesk, Inc. was founded in 1982 — 13 years before BYD Company Ltd, which was founded in 1995. Autodesk, Inc.'s longer operating history gives it a deeper track record but also potentially more institutional inertia compared to the younger BYD Company Ltd.
How many employees does Autodesk, Inc. have compared to BYD Company Ltd?
Autodesk, Inc. employs approximately 14,300 people, while BYD Company Ltd employs approximately 911,900. BYD Company Ltd has the larger workforce at 911,900 employees, compared to Autodesk, Inc.'s 14,300. A higher headcount does not necessarily imply greater efficiency — it often reflects differences in business model (e.g., manufacturing vs. software).
Where are Autodesk, Inc. and BYD Company Ltd headquartered?
Autodesk, Inc. is headquartered in United States and BYD Company Ltd is headquartered in China. Their different home markets mean they may face different regulatory frameworks, tax regimes, and currency exposure.
Who founded Autodesk, Inc. and BYD Company Ltd?
Autodesk, Inc. was founded by John Walker, Dan Drake, Mike Ford. BYD Company Ltd was founded by Wang Chuanfu, Lu Xiangyang.
Which company has a longer operating history — Autodesk, Inc. or BYD Company Ltd?
Autodesk, Inc. has been operating for approximately 44 years, making it the more established of the two companies. BYD Company Ltd has been in operation for around 31 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 Autodesk vs BYD overview