Adobe Founders to Receive U.S. Government’s National Medal of Technology and Innovation

Warnock and Geschke’s initial innovation, a printer language called Adobe PostScript, sparked a quiet revolution that democratized publishing and today is seen as an important first step in the mass dissemination of ideas and information.

Building on the success of PostScript, Warnock and Geschke launched the Portable Document Format (PDF) in 1993. PDF is now used by government organizations, corporations and people around the world for universal, reliable document exchange. The company has distributed over half of a billion copies of the virtually ubiquitous Adobe Reader software for interacting with PDF files.

With a reputation for excellence and a portfolio of many of the most respected and recognizable software brands, from Adobe Photoshop and Creative Suite to Flash, Acrobat and Dreamweaver, Adobe has had a sweeping impact on the digital landscape in virtually every medium.

“All of us at Adobe are proud of John and Chuck’s remarkable achievements,” said Shantanu Narayen, president and CEO of Adobe. “Our success and continuous innovation are a testament to their original vision and the company values they instilled from the very beginning.”