Autodesk vs Samsung: Revenue, Profit and Business Model
Autodesk reported $7.2B of revenue in FY2026 and $1.1B of net income. Samsung reported ~$236.9B of revenue in FY2025 and ~$31.4B of net income.
Latest financial snapshot
Financial summary
Autodesk
Autodesk stopped selling new perpetual licenses for its core desktop products in 2016 and spent the following years converting customers to subscriptions. Reported revenue fell to $2.03 billion in fiscal 2017 with a $582 million net loss before the subscription base compounded. Fiscal 2026 shows the finished version of that model: $7.206 billion of revenue, up 18 percent, of which 94 percent was subscription and maintenance; gross profit of $6.56 billion, or 91 percent of revenue; a GAAP operating margin of 22 percent and a non-GAAP operating margin of 38 percent; net income of $1.124 billion; and free cash flow of $2.409 billion, up 54 percent, from $2.452 billion of cash from operations. Remaining performance obligations, the contracted revenue not yet recognized, were $8.30 billion at January 31, 2026, of which $5.48 billion is expected to convert within twelve months. Autodesk pays no dividend and returns cash through share repurchases.
Samsung
Samsung's earnings follow the memory cycle. Revenue fell from ~$215 billion (KRW 302.2 trillion) in 2022 to ~$184 billion (KRW 258.9 trillion) in 2023 during a chip downturn, then recovered to ~$214 billion (KRW 300.9 trillion) in 2024 and ~$237 billion (KRW 333.6 trillion) in 2025, when net income reached about $31.5 billion (KRW 44.3 trillion). In 2026, AI server demand created a memory shortage. Q1 operating profit of ~$40.6 billion (KRW 57.2 trillion) exceeded the full-year 2025 total, and Q2 reached ~$63.5 billion (KRW 89.5 trillion) on ~$122 billion (KRW 171.5 trillion) revenue. Higher memory costs also squeezed Samsung's own devices: the MX and Networks unit lost ~$497 million (KRW 0.7 trillion) in Q2 2026 on ~$23.6 billion (KRW 33.2 trillion) revenue.
Revenue and profit by year
Autodesk
| Year | Revenue | Net income | Margin | Growth | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY2026 | $7.2B | $1.1B | 15.6% | +17.5% | Source |
| FY2025 | $6.1B | $1.1B | 18.1% | +11.5% | Source |
| FY2024 | $5.5B | $906M | 16.5% | +9.8% | Source |
| FY2023 | $5B | $823M | 16.4% | +14.1% | Source |
| FY2022 | $4.4B | $497M | 11.3% | +15.7% | Source |
| FY2021 | $3.8B | $1.2B | 31.9% | +15.7% | Source |
| FY2020 | $3.3B | $214.5M | 6.6% | +27.4% | Source |
| FY2019 | $2.6B | -$80.8M | -3.1% | +25.0% | Source |
| FY2018 | $2.1B | -$566.9M | -27.6% | +1.3% | Source |
| FY2017 | $2B | -$582.1M | -28.7% | — | Source |
Samsung
| Year | Revenue | Net income | Margin | Growth | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY2025 | ~$236.9B | ~$31.4B | 13.3% | +10.9% | Source |
| FY2024 | ~$213.6B | ~$23.9B | 11.2% | +16.2% | Source |
| FY2023 | ~$183.8B | ~$10.3B | 5.6% | -14.3% | Source |
| FY2022 | ~$214.6B | ~$38.9B | 18.1% | +8.1% | Source |
| FY2021 | ~$198.5B | ~$27.9B | 14.0% | — | Source |
Where the revenue comes from
Autodesk
- Subscription and maintenance revenue~94%
US$6.776 billion in fiscal 2026, made up of US$6.743 billion of subscription revenue and US$33 million of legacy maintenance plans. By product family this is AECO US$3.583 billion, AutoCAD and AutoCAD LT US$1.787 billion, Manufacturing US$1.379 billion, Media and Entertainment US$332 million and other US$125 million, per the fiscal 2026 results.
- Other revenue (products and services)~6%
US$430 million in fiscal 2026, up 15 percent, from consulting, training and other products and services, recognized as they are delivered or performed.
Samsung
- Memory semiconductors
- Foundry and system LSI
- Galaxy smartphones and mobile devices
- Display panels
- TVs and appliances
- Network equipment
- Harman automotive and audio
Business model and strategy
Autodesk
How it makes money
Autodesk sells subscriptions to design software used by professionals: AutoCAD and AutoCAD LT for drafting, Revit and Civil 3D for buildings and infrastructure, Inventor and Fusion for manufacturing, Maya and 3ds Max for animation.
Growth strategy
With drafting seats a mature market, Autodesk's growth depends on construction and manufacturing workflow software rather than on selling more AutoCAD licenses. AECO revenue grew 22 percent in fiscal 2026 to $3.58 billion, the fastest of the four product families, led by construction products that handle cost, scheduling, bidding and field work rather than design.
Competitive advantage
Autodesk's advantage is that its file formats and its products are what the industry trains on. Architecture and engineering programs teach AutoCAD and Revit, project data is exchanged as DWG and RVT files, and a firm that switches has to retrain staff and accept conversion risk on decades of legacy drawings.
Samsung
How it makes money
Samsung earns money from two groups of businesses. Device Solutions (DS) makes and sells memory (DRAM, HBM, NAND), System LSI chips such as Exynos processors and ISOCELL image sensors, and contract foundry manufacturing.
Growth strategy
Samsung's growth plan centers on AI memory: ramping HBM4 for Nvidia and AMD accelerators, developing HBM4E, and adding DRAM capacity at Pyeongtaek. In foundry it is pursuing 2nm gate-all-around production and building its Taylor, Texas fab to win customers from TSMC. On the device side it relies on Galaxy AI features, foldables and premium TVs to defend share against Apple and Chinese brands.
Competitive advantage
Samsung's edge is manufacturing scale and breadth. It is the largest memory producer and one of only three major DRAM makers, alongside SK hynix and Micron. That lets it capture pricing upswings like the 2026 AI-driven shortage.
Questions about Autodesk vs Samsung
Which company has higher revenue — Autodesk, Inc. or Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.?
Autodesk, Inc. reported $7.2B (FY2026), while Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. reported ~$236.9B (FY2025). By last reported revenue, Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. is the larger business, with Autodesk, Inc. reporting a smaller revenue base. Note: these are from different fiscal years and are not a direct like-for-like comparison.
What is the market cap of Autodesk, Inc. vs Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.?
Autodesk, Inc.'s market capitalisation stands at $43.7B, while Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.'s is $1.33T. Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. carries the higher market valuation, reflecting investors' expectations of its future earnings power relative to Autodesk, Inc..
Which is more financially efficient — Autodesk, Inc. or Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.?
Autodesk, Inc. generates $504k / employee in revenue per employee, while Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. generates $914k / employee. Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. shows higher revenue efficiency per headcount, though this reflects business model differences — capital-light software companies routinely outperform labour-intensive manufacturers on this metric.
How do Autodesk, Inc. and Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. make money?
Autodesk, Inc. and Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. generate revenue in fundamentally different ways. Autodesk, Inc.: Autodesk sells subscriptions to design software used by professionals: AutoCAD and AutoCAD LT for drafting, Revit and Civil 3D for buildings and infrastructure, Inventor and Fusion for manufacturing, Maya and 3ds Max for animation. Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.: Samsung earns money from two groups of businesses.
Which company is valued higher relative to revenue — Autodesk, Inc. or Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.?
On a price-to-sales (P/S) basis, Autodesk, Inc. trades at 6.1x P/S and Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. at 5.6x P/S. Autodesk, Inc. commands a higher revenue multiple, typically indicating that investors expect faster growth or higher future margins compared to Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.. A higher multiple is not inherently better — it may also signal that the stock is priced for perfection.
Is Autodesk, Inc. bigger than Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.?
By last reported revenue, Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. (~$236.9B (FY2025)) is the larger company compared to Autodesk, Inc. ($7.2B (FY2026)). Revenue scale is one dimension of size — market capitalisation, employee count, and geographic reach are also relevant depending on the context.
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 Samsung overview