It’s not just start-ups that radically innovate. Take, for example, Autodesk, the 3D design, engineering and entertainment software giant that, according to its President and CEO Carl Bass, continues to be “incredibly relevant” in the innovation economy. “The most creative people use our tools,” Bass told me about popular Autodesk software like Sketchbook, Pixlr and Instructables, when I talked to him at The Economist‘s Innovation event in Berkeley last week. And Bass’ optimism extends to the future where, he told me, all of Autodesk’s products will have migrated online and the cloud, mobile and social will have radically transformed its business. Indeed, in 5 years time, he predicts, computing will become an “abundant resource” thereby providing Autodesk with even richer opportunities to create innovative design, engineering and entertainment software.
This conversation is part of a series that I recorded last week in Berkeley at the Innovation event. Check out my interviews with Stewart Brand, Clay Christensen and Vivek Wadhwa. Tomorrow, I’ll publish interviews about innovation with Don Tapscott and Laura Tyson, the chair of the Council of Economic Advisers under the Clinton Administration.
Autodesk is a software design and service company. The company operates in four segments: Platform Solutions and Emerging Business and Other (PSEB); Architecture, Engineering, and Construction (AEC); Manufacturing Solutions (MSD); and Media and Entertainment (M&E). The company primarily serves customers in architectural, engineering and construction, manufacturing, geospatial mapping, and digital media and entertainment markets through distributors and resellers in the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and the Asia Pacific.
Carl Bass is president and chief executive officer of Autodesk, Inc. Formerly he was Autodesk’s chief operating officer, responsible for worldwide sales, marketing and product development. Earlier roles included CTO and EVP of product development. In 1981, Mr. Bass co-founded Flying Moose Systems and Graphics Ltd., which became Ithaca Software in 1986. He served as chief technology officer and CEO. Mr. Bass joined Autodesk when the company acquired Ithaca Software, the developers of HOOPS, in 1993. When Autodesk spun...
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