It was a cold winter evening in New Delhi towards the end of December 1993. A delegation from Apple Computers, US, was holding a media briefing at the Taj Palace hotel in Dhaula Kuan. As a reporter for The Hindu BusinessLine, I was tasked with covering it. Being my first winter and riding a Hero Honda motorbike, I covered a good 12 km from my Barakhamba Road, Connaught Place, office to the hotel, wearing a windcheater and a helmet.
The hall was full of journalists and the top executive team of the fast-growing American tech company. After the briefing, the spokesperson introduced Shantanu Narayen as one of the brightest researchers at the Cupertino research and development (R&D) headquarters of the company. When he stood up, I could immediately recognise the Hyderabadi, the quiz guy from Osmania Engineering College of the early 1980s. But I was unsure, as I had lost touch and had no clue that he had landed a job at Apple.
After the press conference, my reporter instinct got me to approach him, introduce myself and ask Narayen, “Are you the same alumnus of the Osmania Engineering College, quiz team?”
To my pleasant surprise, within a few seconds, he could recollect. We had a nice discussion over dinner. Those were days of letters and long-distance telephone calls. So, till we met again, it was all over, I presumed.
The 62-year-old Narayen had a remarkable career and growth in the Silicon Valley technology industry in California. After his stint at Apple, he moved to Adobe Systems in 1998. He was quickly elevated to lead Adobe Systems as its President and Chief Operating Officer (COO) in 2005. In 2007, he took over as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and a decade later, in 2017, full control as Chair and CEO.
In the last 18 years of his overall stewardship, Adobe Systems grew into one of the largest and most diversified software companies with a turnover of USD 25 billion. Shantanu was still the CEO until last week when the company announced he was stepping down. The markets were impacted and the news made waves.
Shantanu Narayen steps down as chief executive of Adobe after nearly two decades in the role, the company said on March 8, adding that he would remain chair of the board once a successor is appointed.
Congratulating him on his tenure, Satya Nadella, Chairman, Microsoft Inc, said in a post on X, “You’ve built one of the most important software companies in the world, and expanded what’s possible for creators, entrepreneurs, and brands everywhere. What has always stood out to me is the empathy you’ve brought to the creative process and the example you’ve set as a leader. Grateful for your friendship, mentorship, and for all you’ve done for Adobe and for our industry.”
Incidentally, Narayen and Nadella are alumni of the Hyderabad Public School (HPS), Begumpet, which has produced many top global corporate leaders in the past two decades.
Hyderabad connection
Shantanu Narayen, a Padma Shri awardee in 2019, belongs to the Class of 1980 of HPS, which celebrated its centenary in 2023-24. Born and brought up in Hyderabad, Narayen maintained a deep relationship with the city during his many visits, even after moving to the US. He has been a trendsetter in a way, as several Indian-origin CEOs, including a handful from HPS, have been shining in the global corporate world.
He completed his bachelor’s in Electronics and Communications Engineering (ECE) from Osmania University’s Engineering College in 1984. Immediately, he proceeded to the US to pursue his Masters in Computer Science at Bowling Green University in New York. He obtained an MBA from the prestigious Haas School of Business, University of California, Berkeley.
The soft-spoken Narayen was active in the Hyderabad quiz circle, representing a strong OU Engineering College team and I, representing Nizam College and K Circle. He was also a sportsman and represented India in sailing at the Asian regatta, says a company profile.
During a recent visit to the Osmania Engineering College and interaction with students, staff and alumni, he reportedly recalled, “I could not get the recommendation letter from then Vice-Chancellor Prof D C Reddy as the V-C decided to give only to the top two students.”
In October 2023, Osmania University, his Alma mater, conferred Narayen the honorary doctorate, making him the 49th recipient.
Unique events
In 2016, the OU saw a unique feature ahead of its centenary year (2017-2018), when Narayen and his father, Laxmi Narayen, shared the dais at the global alumni meet of the OU College of Engineering.
In a rare reunion, both father and son shared their experiences – while Shantanu Narayen (1984 batch) was the chief guest, his father Laxmi Narayen (1962 batch) was the chief patron of the alumni association.
In December 2024, Narayen and Nadella launched the Coffee Table book of the Hyderabad Public School titled “Flight of the Eagle,” commemorating the centenary of the school in 1923-2023. Narayen is also part of the high-profile corporate honcho alumni of the school, World Bank Group chairman Ajay Banga and Fairfax Financial Holdings chairman Prem Watsa, who have committed a donation of around Rs 300 crore to help the school’s vision of growth in the next 50 years.
Early career contribution
Shantanu Narayen began his career in Silicon Valley in the second half of the 1980s with a startup. But he quickly joined Apple R&D as a product developer. He also had a stint at Silicon Graphics and co-founded Pictra, a photo-sharing startup. Shantanu holds five patents to his credit.
During his tenure at Apple, Narayen started visiting India. I recall his participation in the IT Asia Summit in the mid- 1990s in Pragati Maidan, where he presented a technical paper. Those were heady days of IT (information technology), as it was a field to be in, the darling of the markets.
Narayan’s career started growing fast after he joined Adobe Systems as Vice-President and General Manager (Engineering Technology Group) in 1998. The company set up an R&D Centre in Noida with an IIT alum as the chief.
As the CEO, Narayen transformed the company into an industry innovator by pioneering a cloud-based, subscription model for its creative products, established the global standards for digital documents and created and led the explosive digital experience category. He quickly adopted AI and was leading the agenda, delivering transformative innovations across creativity, productivity and customer experience and expanding Adobe products to more users, the company said.
Some of the well-known products of the company are the subscription-based Adobe Creative Cloud, the flagship tools like Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator, Adobe Premiere Pro and Adobe Sensei. The company hit the USD 100 billion market capitalisation and broke into the Fortune 500 companies under his leadership. The revenues grew from USD 1 billion to USD 25 billion.
In an email to employees, he wrote, “What attracted me to Adobe 28 years ago was our leadership in creating new market categories, world-class products, a relentless desire to innovate in every functional area of the company, and the people I met during the interview process. We have continued to create new markets, deliver world-class products, drive innovation in everything we do, and attract and retain the best and brightest employees.”
Beyond profession
Narayen has been active in the industry, India-US collaboration and development activities. He is the vice-chairman of the US-India Strategic Partnership Forum, driving important initiatives and discussions on mutual benefit.
A past member of the US President’s Management Advisory Board, Narayen is a board member of Pfizer. He also served as a director of Dell Computers. Narayen has transformed Adobe into an inclusive, innovative and award-winning workplace and culture. This has won the company being named a Great Place to Work and him being named among the world’s leading executives, including Barron’s World’s Best CEOs.
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