Narine’s departure from the role comes after he served as head of Adobe for 18 years, during which he helped the company’s flagship software such as Photoshop, Illustrator, Premiere Pro and InDesign become household products for creatives around the world.
The company said Narine will remain as chairman of the board to support the next CEO. But the announcement of his leadership departure puts the company in an uncertain position as it comes at a time when Adobe is doubling down on AI, exploring significant partnerships and acquisitions to expand its industry leadership.
Separately, Adobe reported quarterly financial results, with double-digit growth in total revenue and customer participation segments, reflecting flexible spending on its product site.
Adobe is grappling with a changing software landscape, where artificial intelligence is lowering the barrier to entry for design and its dominant position in the industry is threatened by the adoption of emerging technologies.
“Investors will likely focus on whether future leadership maintains a balance between disciplined execution and past AI investments, especially as competition in creative and enterprise AI intensifies,” said Emarketer analyst Grace Harmon.
Concerns have also been raised by the rise of new automated AI tools and agents that many fear will be able to disrupt traditional software subscription models and lead to faster and cheaper ways of building products. While Adobe has bet heavily on artificial intelligence to bolster its product suite, “investor skepticism about the timing and payoff of monetization may have led to a decline in its share price,” Harmon said.
Adobe shares have fallen about 22% so far this year after falling more than 21% in 2025, reflecting investor concern about the company’s AI strategy and outlook.
The company forecast second-quarter revenue between $6.43 billion and $6.48 billion, compared with estimates of $6.43 billion, according to data compiled by LSEG.
It reported first-quarter revenue of $6.40 billion, beating estimates of $6.28 billion.
On an adjusted basis, the company earned $6.06 per share, compared with estimates of $5.87 per share.
Creative and marketing professional subscription revenue came in at $4.39 billion, beating expectations of $4.32 billion.
