The Learning Equilibrium

Pune, Maharashtra India, 28 September 2025, 18:30 pm:

Yesterday I got an email from Adobe Creative Cloud telling me my account had been suspended because my payment information wasn’t updated.

I’ve used that suite since 2015. For years I recommended it to creative professionals, coached teams, and even ran training programs on building workflows around it. But that was then.

Since 2023 my use has steadily declined. Better tools emerged for the jobs I once did in Adobe, and the pricing began to feel like a penalty for loyalty. I paid ₹3,920 a month for years, only to see new users lured in at ₹1,916. My own usage had already dropped, so I cancelled. After some back-and-forth they matched the lower rate, so I stayed. That was in April. Discounts kept getting deeper for new sign-ups, but by then I had simply forgotten the suite was even installed.

In the past 4–5 months I opened it just three times, only to stitch together videos in Premiere Pro. My real creative workflow now runs on generative AI platforms — not “AI-assisted” software, but primary systems like MidJourney, ChatGPT, Sora, Leonardo, and Runway. They’ve shifted the development process for visual design and related work: less about inching through tools and iterations, more about moving straight from idea to output.

Generative AI platforms have helped me create an efficient workflow that enables me to go straight from ideation to high-quality design output and visual assets; Illustration generated in collaboration with MidJourney

So when Adobe suspended my account, I was reminded I had one — and realised I didn’t need it. Adobe was a good companion for many years. But it’s time to say goodbye, and let them chase new customers.

A side note: I wonder if tool companies will ever understand the importance of service engagement. I’m a paying subscriber to many SaaS platforms, and most treat customers like ATMs for the monthly or annual fee. They collect enormous amounts of data, yet rarely use it to see if customers are actively using the product — which apps, which features, why and why not, what pain points exist. Engagement, not just acquisition, is what builds lasting loyalty. Loyalty doesn’t come only from features or discounts, but also from understanding how we actually work.