Adobe Charged Him to Cancel. So He Rebuilt Adobe.

A developer tried to cancel his Adobe subscription and got charged a fee to leave. So he rebuilt Adobe. Photoshop, Illustrator, Premiere, Lightroom, After Effects, InDesign and Acrobat. Seven apps in about a week, built with AI, and given away free.

So can Adobe survive? I look at the man behind ArtCraft, whether the apps are actually any good, Adobe's long rap sheet, and what happens next. Lawsuit, or is the cat already out of the bag?

TRY THE APPS (free, open source)
https://getartcraft.com
Code: https://github.com/storytold
Download only from the official page. It's early alpha software written with AI, so keep backups and don't trust it with a client deadline yet.

Would you switch? Let me know in the comments.

CHAPTERS
0:00 He rebuilt Adobe in a week
1:11 Who is Brandon Thomas?
1:56 The ridiculous timeline
2:17 The seven apps
2:48 How do you build 7 apps in a week?
3:45 Is it actually any good?
4:32 What the headlines skipped
5:06 The weird bit: Adobe's money
6:12 Adobe's greatest hits
7:52 The cancellation fee
8:55 The terms of use and Firefly
9:43 If you can't beat them, buy them
10:01 The competition got good
10:40 Can Adobe just sue?
12:16 Has a giant ever won?
13:18 Four ways this plays out
14:17 The real story
14:45 So, can Adobe survive?
15:27 Try it yourself

SOURCES
ArtCraft and Brandon Thomas
Tom's Hardware: https://www.tomshardware.com/software/video-editing-graphic-design/solo-developer-rebuilds-adobe-creative-suite-in-rust-using-claude-releases-it-free-to-all-targets-100-percent-parity-in-one-month-despite-piracy-claims-and-safety-warnings
TechSpot: https://www.techspot.com/news/114136-software-over-developer-uses-ai-build-free-adobe.html
OMG! Ubuntu review: https://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/2026/10/artcraft-free-photoshop-ai-clone
Gizmodo: https://gizmodo.com/someone-vibe-coded-a-free-knockoff-of-adobe-creative-suite-2000823322
PhotoCraft on GitHub: https://github.com/storytold/photocraft

Adobe's numbers
Q3 FY2026 results: https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/796343/000079634326000147/adbeex991q326.htm
Narayen stepping down: https://www.business-standard.com/technology/tech-news/adobe-ceo-shantanu-narayen-to-step-down-amid-investor-concerns-over-ai-126031300125_1.html
2025 price rise: https://www.theregister.com/2025/05/20/adobe_price_hikes/

The rap sheet
2013 subscription backlash: https://www.computerworld.com/article/2497273/backlash-begins-against-adobe-s-subscription-only-plan.html
2013 breach: https://welivesecurity.com/2013/10/30/adobe-breach-far-bigger-than-thought-38-million-records-photoshop-code-leaked-in-attack
2019 old versions warning: https://www.engadget.com/2019-05-14-adobe-creative-cloud-older-apps-warning.html
2019 Venezuela: https://www.cgchannel.com/2019/10/adobe-to-refund-venezuelan-users-affected-by-us-sanctions/
2022 Pantone: https://petapixel.com/2022/10/28/you-have-to-pay-a-subscription-to-use-pantone-colors-in-photoshop-now
"Like heroin" (FTC complaint): https://petapixel.com/2024/07/25/adobe-exec-says-early-termination-fees-are-like-heroin-for-the-company
$150M settlement: https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/adobe-agrees-150-million-settlement-and-injunction-resolve-alleged-violations-restore-online
UK CMA investigation: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/cma-investigates-adobe-over-concerns-about-cancellation-fees
2024 terms of use: https://petapixel.com/2024/06/06/photographers-outraged-by-adobes-new-privacy-and-content-terms
Firefly and Midjourney: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2024-04-12/adobe-s-ai-firefly-used-ai-generated-images-from-rivals-for-training
Ansel Adams estate: https://petapixel.com/2024/06/03/adobe-removes-ai-images-in-the-style-of-ansel-adams-after-complaint
Figma: https://fortune.com/2023/12/19/adobe-abandons-figma-takeover

The legal side
Google v Oracle: https://www.jonesday.com/en/insights/2021/04/supreme-court-google-wins-copyright-battle
Yuzu settlement: https://androidauthority.com/nintendo-switch-yuzu-settlement-3422388
youtube-dl reinstated: https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2020/11/github-reinstates-youtube-dl-after-riaas-abuse-dmca

I'm not a lawyer and this isn't legal or financial advice. Adobe denies wrongdoing in the cases mentioned. I use Claude to help research this show, and this video was edited in DaVinci Resolve.

#Adobe #Photoshop #ArtCraft