2016 founded Standing
design · figma.com
Figma
the moat is real
9 years 327 days and counting
Dylan Field and Evan Wallace, 2016. Still the whiteboard the whole company can open.
Why it lasted
- Multiplayer design in a browser ended the 'final.psd' era.
- The file is a URL. That is a distribution trick Adobe spent years not shipping.
- The failed Adobe acquisition left it independent and more liked than before.
Times it almost ended
- Adobe's 2022 deal was supposed to be the ending. Regulators killed the deal. Figma lived.
- Sketch had the Mac. Figma had the browser and the rest of the company.
What would finish it
- A design model that generates the system instead of the frame, plus Adobe actually making XD a browser. Too late for XD. Not too late for AI.
Questions
Is Figma still up?
Yes, with a Standing verdict: the moat is real. Founded 2016.
How long has Figma been around?
Figma has been up since 2016-09-27.
Why did Figma survive?
Multiplayer design in a browser ended the 'final.psd' era.
Could Figma still die?
A design model that generates the system instead of the frame, plus Adobe actually making XD a browser. Too late for XD. Not too late for AI.