Autodesk
San Rafael, US · Public · 16 known investors
Autodesk is a publicly traded developer of design, engineering, and entertainment software, best known for AutoCAD.
Also known as ADSK · Autodesk, Inc.
Founders & leadership
Investors · 16
Company profile
researched Aug 2026Autodesk, Inc. is a software company serving the design, engineering, construction, manufacturing, and media and entertainment industries. It was founded in April 1982 and is headquartered at 111 McInnis Parkway in San Rafael, California, with additional operations including a San Francisco office at One Market Plaza. Its flagship product is AutoCAD, the computer-aided design application that became the company's core product shortly after founding.
The product portfolio spans AutoCAD for 2D and 3D drafting; Revit for building information modeling; Fusion 360, a cloud-based CAD/CAM/CAE tool; Inventor for mechanical design; Maya and 3ds Max for 3D modeling, animation and rendering; the Arnold renderer; and Autodesk Construction Cloud for construction project management. Business activity is organized around Architecture, Engineering and Construction (AEC); Product Design and Manufacturing (PD&M); and Media and Entertainment. In media and entertainment, Autodesk is building Flow, an industry cloud intended to unite data, workflows, and teams across on-set and post-production, along with Flow Studio (formerly Wonder Studio), a cloud-based VFX and animation platform with AI motion-capture capabilities.
Autodesk also operates the Design and Make Marketplace, a catalog of apps, plug-ins and integrations for its products from both Autodesk and third-party publishers, including enterprise Model Context Protocol (MCP) servers such as the Fusion MCP Server and a Product Help MCP Server that connects official documentation for more than 110 Autodesk products to AI agents.
Compiled by commissioned research from 7 cited public sources — announcements, filings, and press listed under research sources below.
Key figures
latest reportedCompany-reported or press-reported figures, each dated to when it was claimed — not independently audited.
Acquisitions · 1
Early investors' stakes continue via these dealsTimeline · 10
launches, deals, and filingsAutodesk introduced a 3D Editor and Canvas within Flow Studio, a workflow giving creators direct 3D scene control while AI renders cinematic outputs.
Autodesk announced new capabilities for Maya, 3ds Max, Flow Production Tracking and Arnold aimed at streamlining animation and VFX workflows.
Autodesk acquired the core technology and IP of AI-based motion-capture company RADiCAL, including its Motion technology (powering Radical Core and Radical Live) and Canvas, which powers its collaborative online 3D editor. Radical is shutting its web portal on 6 July 2026, with users able to download data until then; user data is not transferred to Autodesk. The capabilities are aligned with Autodesk's Flow Studio roadmap.
Autodesk offers Model Context Protocol (MCP) servers on its Design and Make Marketplace, including a Fusion MCP Server, a Product Help MCP Server connecting official documentation for 110+ Autodesk products to AI agents, and an announced Hydraulic Modeling MCP Server.
Autodesk completed its acquisition of PIX, a production management solution providing secure review and content collaboration between creatives and executives in media and entertainment. PIX is being connected to Flow, Autodesk's M&E industry cloud, extending Autodesk's presence into on-set production following its earlier move with Moxion.
Autodesk made an initial investment in RADiCAL in 2022, acquiring an undisclosed stake, describing it as a move toward democratizing end-to-end production in the cloud and aiming to integrate Radical's AI tools into Autodesk content creation software, starting with Maya.
Andrew Anagnost has led Autodesk as President and CEO since 2017, playing a role in the company's transition to a subscription-based business model and its focus on cloud computing.
Autodesk scaled back its San Rafael presence by 80,000 square feet and cut 135 local jobs as part of a 10 percent reduction in its global workforce, which then stood at 7,500.
Autodesk acquired Alias Systems Corp., maker of 3D design software Maya, in the same year its revenues topped $1 billion for the first time.
Carol Bartz served as Autodesk CEO from 1992 to 2006, succeeding Alvar Green, who had led the company after co-founder John Walker stepped back in 1986. Carl Bass became CEO in 2006.
Dated company events from announcements, filings, and press; legal rows summarize public dockets and regulator releases.
▸Research sources · 7
primary sources listed
- Autodesk Design and Make Marketplacemarketplace.autodesk.com · web
7 public sources were cited for this profile; the first-party ones are listed here.
Frequently asked questions
- What does Autodesk do?
- Autodesk is a publicly traded developer of design, engineering, and entertainment software, best known for AutoCAD.
- Who are Autodesk's investors?
- Autodesk's investors include Access Venture Partners, Autodesk Foundation, Baseline Ventures, Building Ventures, DesignX, Homebrew, Karista, Kortschak Investments L.P. and 8 more.
- Where is Autodesk headquartered?
- Autodesk is headquartered in San Rafael, US.