(Credit: Cheng Xin via Getty Images)
Software firm Adobe received a less-than-hospitable reception from the community after debuting on fast-growing X alternative Bluesky.
Users seemingly lined up to roast the Photoshop and After Effects maker after it made an introductory post on the platform earlier this week, which asked artists, designers, and storytellers: “What’s fueling your creativity right now?”
“Y’all keep raising your prices for a product that keeps getting worse,” one user commented in response to the post. “You aren't a monopoly anymore, y’all need to adapt.”
“I assume you’ll be charging us monthly to read your posts,” another user wrote.
Adobe promptly deleted the post, but not before Adobe critics pulled out their best pop culture references to bully the software firm.
Apparently, Adobe had appeared on Bluesky.
[image or embed]— Somco (@somco.bsky.social) April 9, 2025 at 5:28 PM
Omg who invited adobe to the party
[image or embed]— Kronos (@kronostrat.bsky.social) April 9, 2025 at 4:03 AM
The @adobe.com and @photoshop.adobe.com Bluesky accounts currently have no posts.
The company has irked its users multiple times over the past year. In June 2024, Adobe changed the wording on its FAQ to give it the right to "access" and "view" users’ content and "analyze" it with AI tools. Users suspected that their creative output might be used to train Adobe’s generative AI models, an accusation the company denied.
The company then changed the wording of its legal fine print and explained the move as a way to combat the production of child sexual abuse material, but not before users gathered to attack the company online.
Adobe has also attracted plenty of criticism for its subscription policies, which in recent years have shifted to a cloud-based monthly payment approach.
Regulators are taking note. Last year, the Department of Justice filed a complaint that accused Adobe of failing "to adequately disclose to consumers that by signing up for the 'Annual, Paid Monthly' subscription plan, they are agreeing to a year-long commitment and a hefty early termination fee that can amount to hundreds of dollars." The DOJ alleged the firm was “trapping consumers in subscriptions they no longer want."
Nevertheless, Adobe retains a tight hold on some industries. Adobe has an estimated 80% market share of the creative software industry, with 33 million paying subscribers to its Creative Cloud suite of products in mid-2024.