Adobe co-founder John Warnock passes away, aged 82
Adobe developed industry-standard software in several domains under Warnock's leadership
John Warnock, the co-founder of Adobe, passed away on Saturday at the age of 82.
"It is with profound sadness that Adobe shares the passing of the company's beloved co-founder Dr. John Warnock," the company said in a statement early on Sunday.
"It is a sad day for the Adobe community and the industry for which he has been an inspiration for decades," Adobe CEO Shantanu Narayen said in an email sent to employees.
The cause of his death was not revealed.
Warnock held an impressive educational background, having earned a doctorate in electrical engineering, a master's degree in mathematics, and a bachelor's degree in mathematics and philosophy.
In 1982, he co-founded the groundbreaking software company Adobe along with his partner, the late Dr Charles Geschke.
The duo first met as colleagues at Xerox Holdings. After founding Adobe, they started working on PostScript, the page description language that played a significant role in igniting the desktop publishing revolution.
Marva Warnock, John Warnock's wife, designed the company's original logo, while Adobe launched PostScript two years later.
Before establishing Adobe, Warnock served as a principal scientist at Xerox Palo Alto Research Center, and also held positions at Computer Sciences Corporation, Evans & Sutherland Computer, IBM, and the University of Utah.
Under Warnock's leadership as Adobe CEO, the company developed industry-standard software encompassing various domains including business, photography, graphic design, video editing, audio recording and more.
Warnock served as Adobe's CEO until 2000. He also served as co-chairman of the board, alongside Geschke, until 2017. Later, he remained as a member of the company's board of directors.
Geschke passed away in 2021 at the age of 81.
In his email, Shantanu Narayen described Warnock as one of the "greatest inventors in our generation," who left a substantial impact on how people convey information through words, images, and videos.
"My interactions with John over the past 25 years have been the highlight of my professional career," Shantanu said.
"At breakfasts with John and Chuck, we would imagine the future, however, it was our varied conversations on rare books, art, world history and politics that gave me unique insight into John, who was truly a renaissance man (we also loved rooting jointly for the Warriors!).
"While he was my role model and mentor, I am most grateful to count him as a friend," Shantanu noted.
In recognition for his technical accomplishments, Dr. Warnock was honoured with the esteemed National Medal of Technology and Innovation by Barack Obama in 2008.
He was presented with the Computer Entrepreneur Award from the IEEE Computer Society and the Medal of Achievement from the American Electronics Association. He also received the esteemed Marconi Prize in recognition of his significant contributions to information science and communications.
John Warnock is survived by his wife, Marva Warnock, and their three children.