Adobe Roasted by Users After First Post on Bluesky

Software firm Adobe received a less than hospitable reception from its community after debuting on fast-growing X alternative Bluesky.

Users seemingly lined up to roast the Photoshop and After Effects maker after it made its introductory post on the platform earlier this week, asking artists, designers, and storytellers: “What’s fueling your creativity right now?”

“Y’all keep raising your prices for a product that keeps getting worse,” one user commented in response to the post. “You aren’t a monopoly anymore, y’all need to adapt.”

“I assume you’ll be charging us monthly to read your posts,” another user wrote in response to the debut post.

Adobe promptly deleted the post in the aftermath of the backlash—but not before Adobe critics pulled out their best pop culture references to bully the software firm.

The company has faced widespread backlash multiple times over the past year. In June 2024, Adobe drew the ire of many users after changes to the wording on its FAQ gave it the right to “access” and “view” users’ content and “analyze” it with AI tools. Users suspected that their creative output might be used to train Adobe’s generative AI models, an accusation the company firmly denied.

The company promptly changed the wording of its legal fine print and explained the move as a way to combat the production of child sexual material, but not before users gathered to attack the company online.

Adobe has also attracted plenty of criticism for the subscription policies of its tools, which in recent years have shifted to a cloud-based monthly subscription approach, and regulators are taking note.

Last year, the Department of Justice filed a federal court complaint that alleged that: “Adobe fails to adequately disclose to consumers that by signing up for the ‘Annual, Paid Monthly’ subscription plan, they are agreeing to a year-long commitment and a hefty early termination fee that can amount to hundreds of dollars.”

The DoJ alleged the firm was “trapping consumers in subscriptions they no longer want.”

Nevertheless, Adobe retains a tight hold on some industries. Research estimates that Adobe has an 80% market share of the creative software industry, with 33 million paying subscribers to its Creative Cloud suite of products in mid-2024.

If you’re interested in trying out alternatives to Photoshop, check out PCMag’s guide to the best alternatives.

About Will McCurdy

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I’m a reporter covering weekend news. Before joining PCMag in 2024, I picked up bylines in BBC News, The Guardian, The Times of London, The Daily Beast, Vice, Slate, Fast Company, The Evening Standard, The i, TechRadar, and Decrypt Media.

I’ve been a PC gamer since you had to install games from multiple CD-ROMs by hand. As a reporter, I’m passionate about the intersection of tech and human lives. I’ve covered everything from crypto scandals to the art world, as well as conspiracy theories, UK politics, and Russia and foreign affairs.

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