79- Taking the fight to Figma

Sept 15th, 2022.

The day Adobe announced its intention to acquire Figma for an eyewatering $20Bn was also a day of mourning for much of the design community. Our industry’s main tool was falling into the hands of a brand many have grown increasingly skeptical of.

Sad times.

But at a company retreat in rural Spain, the team at Penpot was rejoicing. Their nimble, open-source design tool is an alternative to the monopoly. An innovative upstart in the face of a seemingly greedy, toxic brand.

But how does an open-source tool with a tiny market share face up to the might of Adobe?

In this interview with Penpot's CEO Pablo Ruiz-Múzquiz, we uncover:

• How Penpot’s developer-inclusive product strategy can be an engine of growth

• Why a “Tax the controller” subscription model can make open source a profitable business model

• Using the ‘value created vs value captured’ ratio to create a compelling pricing proposition

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