Business leaders face many pressures and challenges that can lead to burnout and other health issues. To maintain a successful career and make it to the top, one must love their job — as well as pursue other passions — according to Shantanu Narayen, Chief Executive Officer of Adobe.
The CEO has led his company to new heights since taking the top role in 2005, transforming Adobe from a boxed software company with revenues of roughly $3 billion to a cloud-based leader in creativity software with a revenue of nearly $18 billion in 2022.
The balance between loving his work and loving his other pursuits has helped Narayen stay in the top role much longer than most tech executives. His inspired leadership is reflected in Adobe’s high ratings as an employer on job hunt sites Glassdoor and Comparably, the former of which lists the company as one of the best to work for.
However, the company has not been immune to the wave of layoffs sweeping the tech industry. In December 2022, Adobe announced the elimination of about 100 roles; still, far under the numbers of other major tech companies. The recent $20 billion acquisition of Figma, a competing design software, and the financial growth it could lead to, is likely to keep Narayen in the good graces of investors as well as the employees he still loves to lead.
