Autodesk
 | |
| Company type | Public |
|---|---|
| Industry | Software |
| Founded | January 30, 1982 |
| Founders |
|
| Headquarters | San Francisco, California, United States |
Key people | Andrew Anagnost (CEO) |
| Products | AutoCAD, Revit, Maya |
| Revenue | 1,710,000,000 United States dollar (2010)  |
Number of employees | 14,300 (2026) |
| Website | autodesk |
Autodesk, Inc. is an American software company based in San Francisco, California. It makes computer programs that people use to design buildings, machines, films, and other things.
The company is known for a program called AutoCAD. Architects and engineers use AutoCAD to draw plans for buildings and machines.
History
[change | change source]Autodesk was started in 1982 by John Walker and 15 other programmers. They put in $60,000 to start the company.[1]
AutoCAD was released in December 1982.[2]
In 1985, Autodesk became a public company.
By 1989, the company was making more than $100 million each year.[3]
In 2002, Autodesk bought Revit Technology. In 2006, Autodesk bought Alias.
In 2022, Autodesk moved its main office from San Rafael, California to San Francisco.[4]
In 2025, Autodesk laid off 1,350 workers.[5] In 2026, the company laid off about 1,000 more workers.[6]
Products
[change | change source]Autodesk's main product is AutoCAD. Architects and engineers use AutoCAD to draw plans for buildings and machines.
Other Autodesk products include:
- Revit — used to design buildings.
- Maya — used to make 3D animation for movies and video games.
- 3ds Max — used to make 3D animation for movies and video games.
- Inventor — used to design machines and parts.
- Fusion — used to design and make products.
Autodesk's software has been used to design the One World Trade Center and cars made by Tesla.[7]
The software has also been used to make special effects for movies including Avatar, Titanic, and Inception.[8]
References
[change | change source]- ↑ Markoff, John (28 April 1994). "Autodesk Founder Saddles Up and Leaves". The New York Times.
- ↑ "The Fascinating Story of How Autodesk Came to Be". StudioDaily. 7 January 2012. Archived from the original on 20 January 2023. Retrieved 21 May 2026.
- ↑ "The Fascinating Story of How Autodesk Came to Be". StudioDaily. 7 January 2012. Archived from the original on 20 January 2023. Retrieved 21 May 2026.
- ↑ Harris, David (19 August 2022). "Autodesk Shifts Headquarters To San Francisco". CRN.
- ↑ Ford, Brody (27 February 2025). "Autodesk to Cut Jobs as it Targets Higher Profits". Bloomberg News.
- ↑ "Autodesk cuts 7% of workforce to redirect investments to AI, cloud". CNA. February 2026.
- ↑ Brown, Steven E.F. (20 September 2010). "Tesla shows off sedan at Autodesk gallery". San Francisco Business Times.
- ↑ "Autodesk: The Secret Star Behind Oscar-Winning Visual Effects". Fast Company. 25 February 2011.
