Mike Ford

Mike Ford co-founded Autodesk in 1982, providing essential early technical and operational support to the founding team as they developed AutoCAD for the IBM PC, helping to transform a $100,000 grassroots programming project into a globally dominant software company.

Mike Ford is a computer scientist and co-founder of Autodesk, Inc., who joined forces with John Walker and Dan Drake in 1982 to establish the company that would revolutionize the computer-aided design industry. Ford contributed significantly to the early technical development and operational groundwork of the company during its precarious startup phase in Mill Valley, California. His efforts were crucial in the meticulous optimization of the AutoCAD codebase, ensuring that the software could deliver professional-grade 2D drafting capabilities on the hardware-constrained IBM Personal Computer. Ford's commitment to the founding vision of democratizing design technology helped the small team navigate the immense technical and commercial risks of challenging the entrenched minicomputer CAD vendors. As Autodesk grew from a dozen programmers into a global software powerhouse, Ford's early contributions to the core architecture and the establishment of the company's engineering-first culture remained a vital part of the organization's foundational history and long-term success.