20+ Years of Design, Technology & More
20+ Years of Design, Technology & More
The Autodesk University 2026 Thrive Guide by Shaan Hurley offers essential tips for attendees preparing for the event in Las Vegas from September 15-17. The guide includes venue highlights, packing suggestions, and advice on networking and session attendance. It emphasizes the importance of hydration, comfortable footwear, and enjoying the local cuisine and attractions.
Every Autodesk University location from the first one in 1993 through Las Vegas 2026, including the four-city 1999 year, the virtual pandemic AUs, and the international events in Japan, China, and Brasil. The complete AU host-city history, updated. AU 2026 will be my 34th.
Autodesk was founded in 1982 not to create AutoCAD, which emerged later from a product initially called MicroCAD, but to develop various software products. The pivotal moment came at COMDEX when the founders chose to focus solely on AutoCAD after its strong reception, leading to their success in the CAD industry.
This podcast episode explores Autodesk's unexpected origins, focusing on its evolution from a UNIVAC hacker network to a billion-dollar enterprise. Key themes include the challenges of early software development, strategic decisions that shaped AutoCAD, and the company's growth trajectory. The narrative underscores the significance of primary sources in understanding this tech history.
Mike Riddle wrote a CAD program in his spare time and became one of the most important — and most contested — figures in AutoCAD’s origin story. Here is the complete account, including the parts he would tell differently than Autodesk would.
The Accidental Empire
How a band of UNIVAC hackers, a borrowed plotter, and five long-shot bets became one of the most influential software companies ever built. The oral history Autodesk never officially told. Here are the Oral History of many early Autodesk founders and those in its early history.
The offer period for unique Autodesk memorabilia, including early CAD manuals and hardware, runs from March 23 to April 5. Interested buyers must email their preferred items, offers, and intentions for use. Authentic stories carry weight in selection, as tangible items are primarily memorabilia from Autodesk's early days.
Autodesk's journey from a scrappy startup to a global powerhouse reshaped industries with its pioneering design software. Now I’m
Offering some of my Autodesk and AutoCAD artifacts.
In November 2013, Autodesk successfully ran full versions of its applications like Inventor and Revit in web browsers through a partnership with Mozilla, OTOY, AWS, and NVIDIA. Despite the groundbreaking performance, Autodesk chose not to launch the product due to pricing, internal politics, and fear of disrupting existing profits, ultimately opting for limited cloud features instead.
From CAD to cloud and AI, Autodesk's journey is a testament to evolving with technology while maintaining its core mission: empowering creativity and design.