The company Adobe has been around for many years – since 1982 actually. It one of those old software companies that we sometimes forget exists, even though we use their products almost every single day. For example, we use Adobe PDF Reader to read and edit pdf files. We use Adobe’s Photoshop to edit photos. We even have the term “photoshop” as a word to describe editing pictures – that’s how ingrained Adobe is in our culture. Not to mention that due to Lightroom and Photoshop, entire industries have been made due to the programs’ capabilities.
Scott Belsky – Understanding Innovation
The recent changes in product offerings from Adobe in the last few years have been due to a man called Scott Belsky who is Adobe’s Chief Product Officer. He is ultimately responsible for any and all new features in Adobe’s programs.
He is responsible for understanding what current users would like to see improved while maintaining what currently works. It is a tricky balance to get right. Besides just the challenge of adding or maintaining features in their programs, Scott has also been having to deal with the technical side of things like the software. And since Adobe runs on all operating systems, they need to have the correct coding.
The software that Adobe runs on relies on computer hardware, specifically the processor units. And there have only been 2 companies that have manufactured the world’s supply – Intel and AMD. However, Apple is just about to launch their new computers with brand new in-house processors. Where previously they had relied on Intel.
This presented a difficult challenge to Scott to ensure that he focused on providing new software while continuing to be innovative. And that is what he did. Scott will be announcing new web-based software where people can edit their photos online instead of having a dedicated program as they are used to. What this allows is a more modern approach to how technology is evolving.
Scott Belsky On NFTs
We are not going to delve into what NFTs are really. NFTs are simply a way proving ownership for any digital items, from music to artwork. And not surprisingly, Scott who has being in charge of innovation at Adobe has a strong opinion about them.
Scott wrote the following in a post, “The NFT world is likely the greatest unlock of artist opportunity in a hundred-plus years. This isn’t a suboptimal or fringe version of the real-world art economy. It is a vastly improved one”. That is an extremely strong statement from someone who is at the head of one the largest and oldest software companies in the world. There is a reason that Adobe is still as relevant today as it was in 1982 – they keep up with innovation. The statement above from Scott just shows how they view NFTs, almost validating them inadvertently.
Scott further clarified that his statement wasn’t commenting on the digital art craze currently happening where people sold NFTs for incredible amounts. Rather he was speaking to the blockchain technology they run on. That, he believes will be the key to future digital security of digital items.
What Scott Believes NFTs Are About
Interestingly enough, Scott is quite philosophical in his opinions. He believes that NFTs are about identity. Technically speaking he is more than correct – that is their whole essence. But he was referring to how we as people relate to the concept of identity on a digital level. He explained that we are very used to having the super large copying machine called the internet where anyone can copy everyone. NFTs have changed that. And this will change the way software companies work in the future.
Scott is also a massive advocate for increasing people’s creative attribution. That has been his ethos in driving things at Adobe the last few years. He is constantly looking for bee ways in which he can give people greater access for their digital work.
Understanding Scott’s NFT Push
At the end of the day, Scott is very pro NFT. Specifically with regards to digital artwork, which makes sense as he is all about that in Adobe. And that leads us to the final piece in the puzzle as to why Scott is so excited about them. Adobe at the end of the month is going to have an option called “Prepare as NFT”.
This is going to be a game changer to so many digital artists as it is providing easy access to a new technology. And the fact that Adobe is once again spearheading the drive for digital attribution is great.
Scott also said that this new feature will make use of open-source way signatures. This is how people will be able to attach a unique and traceable signature to authenticate their NFTs.
And the market reaction to the announcement by Adobe towards increasing access for people to NFTs has been great. There has been great excitement and support for it.
The interesting thing with Adobe’s foray into the NFT sphere has been that it is working with an open-source framework that is decentralized. So, this then allows anyone using the tool to cryptographically sign their work using the new tools they offer. And Scott has been quite clear that this has been their intention from the beginning. He and the company, specifically did not want to have any propriety stake in the process as that would negate the purpose of preparing NFTs.
Final Thoughts
It is quite interesting that a man like Scott who has such a prominent position in a company like Adobe is able to speak openly about new and controversial technology. It is even more interesting that the company is being one of the first to increase ease of access to NFTs for creatives.
This speaks to his putting his money where his mouth is as he puts into practice what he advocates for. It is very refreshing to see and should prove to be exciting to anyone who has been waiting for this type of access.
