EU Prepares to Investigate Adobe’s $20 Billion Figma Acquisition

Adobe's $20 billion Figma acquisition may be in trouble with news that the EU Commission may be preparing to investigate the deal....
EU Prepares to Investigate Adobe’s $20 Billion Figma Acquisition
Written by Staff
  • Adobe’s $20 billion Figma acquisition may be in trouble with news that the EU Commission may be preparing to investigate the deal.

    Adobe announced a deal to purchase Figma in September 2022. Figma is a digital design startup with a focus on web-based tools. It competes with Adobe, offering powerful design tools at a fraction of the price many Adobe customers pay.

    Almost immediately, many users decried the deal out of concerns that Adobe would kill off Figma or, at the very least, destroy what makes it so popular. The EU Commission signaled in February that it was considering an antitrust probe into the deal.

    According to a report in Financial Times, via Gizmodo, it appears the EU is opening a Phase II investigation into the acquisition. While Phase I antitrust investigations account for 90% of investigations, Phase II investigations are more involved and “typically involves more extensive information gathering, including companies’ internal documents, extensive economic data, more detailed questionnaires to market participants, and/or site visits.”

    EU spokesperson Marta Perez-Cejuela told Gizmodo, “this transaction has not been formally notified to the Commission,” a necessary step before an investigation can proceed.

    If the investigation does move forward, however, it could spell major trouble for Adobe’s plans.

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