Adobe’s Attempt to Take Over Figma Lands in the Crosshairs of EU Competition Watchdog

Adobe’s attempt to take over Figma has landed the design software giant in the crosshairs of the EU competition watchdog. Adobe has 20 billion dollars (18.2 billion euros) to take over the company. Figma is a web application that allows users to create a variety of user interface (UI) and user experience (UX) designs.

Adobe’s Dominance in the Creative Space

Adobe’s Creative Cloud is a must-have for anyone who wants to design something. This has led to extra suspicion among competition watchdogs. Earlier, the British Competitions and Markets Authority (CMA) was already working on the acquisition. The Financial Times also reported that US authorities are preparing a lawsuit against the acquisition.

Unusual Interest from the EU

It is somewhat unusual that people in Brussels are picking this up. This is because Figma’s sales figures in Europe are lower than those of companies that normally appear on the radar of the watchdogs. However, Adobe is by far the largest player in design software.
Adobe stated that it anticipated “prolonged investigations” into the nature of the takeover. However, according to the company, the acquisition is justified because only 10 percent of Photoshop users also use Figma.
The urge to research is not unexpected at Adobe. It is uncertain what will happen with the takeover attempt of Activision Blizzard, as neither party currently leads the market in the gaming industry. However, the European Commission has allowed the acquisition of Activision Blizzard.