India, March 13 -- Adobe has announced that Shantanu Narayen will transition from his role as CEO after a successor is appointed, bringing to a close an 18-year run that helped shape the company into one of the world's most influential software firms. He will remain Chair of the Board, while a special committee led by Lead Independent Director Frank Calderoni considers both internal and external candidates.

The official wording is measured and orderly, but the moment carries more weight than a routine succession update. Narayen is stepping aside at a time when Adobe is not fighting for survival, but for relevance in a market that AI is rapidly redrawing. The company remains financially strong, but the questions facing it are no longer ju...