Executive profiles

Since Dr. John Warnock co-founded Adobe in 1982 with Dr. Charles Geschke, the two have worked closely together to develop a stream of pioneering software products that leverage Adobe’s strength in transforming how people create, process and engage with information.

For more than two decades, Warnock’s vision and passion have been integral to Adobe’s success, building the company from a small start up to one of the world’s largest, most recognized software companies. He was president of Adobe for the company’s first two years and CEO for the next 16 years. Warnock retired as CEO in 2000 and as the company’s CTO in 2001. Today, he is co-chairman of the board with Charles Geschke, continuing to shape direction for the nearly $3 billion company.

As a respected software industry innovator, Warnock holds six patents, has contributed numerous articles to technical journals and industry magazines, and is a frequent speaker on the impact of computing technologies on business and publishing. Warnock is a distinguished member of the National Academy of Engineering.

Warnock’s entrepreneurial success has been chronicled by influential business and computer-industry publications. To date, he has received more than 35 awards for technical and managerial achievement. A partial list of awards includes: Medal of Achievement from the American Electronics Association (Warnock and Charles Geschke are the first software leaders to receive this award); Entrepreneur of the Year from Ernst & Young, Merrill Lynch and Inc. Magazine; Lifetime Achievement Award for Technical Excellence from PC Magazine; ACM Systems Award; the Bodleian Medal; the Land Medal; the Lovelace Medal; and dozens of others.

Warnock is active on or has served on several boards in addition to Adobe, including the Sundance Institute, the American Film Institute, ebrary, MongoNet, Knight-Ridder, Octavo Corporation, Netscape Communications, and the Tech Museum of Innovation in San Jose. He is also chairman of the board of the Salon Media Group.

Before co-founding Adobe, Warnock was a principal scientist at Xerox Palo Alto Research Center. Prior to joining Xerox, Warnock held key positions at Evans & Sutherland Computer Corporation, Computer Sciences Corporation, IBM and the University of Utah.

Warnock holds a doctorate in electrical engineering (computer science), a master’s degree in mathematics and a bachelor’s degree in mathematics and philosophy from the University of Utah. He was also awarded an honorary degree in science from the University of Utah.