Autodesk benefits from providing students CAD software in school so that they use it in the workplace. This benefits the students, who no longer have to buy a license during college, and benefits them (Autodesk) by making sure they have a "captive market". Gaming the system? Yes- it plays to the needs of poor college students, who then are comfortable with their development environment and don't want to learn another thing, too.
As long as Autodesk is providing this program, students are:
A) not pirating their software,
B) becoming used to their tools (being completely unfamiliar with CAD as an engineer is a bad start), and
C) starting in the Autodesk ecosystem.
As long as students keep using Autodesk's platform, Autodesk is:
A) strengthening its market share
B) able to continue development (because the now-working previously students are using their software)
C) Relevant in the college setting, where professors have a large say in what goes and what doesn't.
There are probably always going to be college students, there are probably always going to be engineering jobs, and engineers will always need to have a CAD package. As long as those two things exist, Autodesk (or any other company with a CAD package) can gain goodwill, ensure relevancy, and invest in their future by giving their software away for free now. This is "gaming" a market in a long-term symbiotic manner.
Full disclosure: I'm an engineering student, in high school, and really appreciate the free copies of Autodesk Inventor and Dassault Systemes' Solidworks that I've gotten.
As long as Autodesk is providing this program, students are:
A) not pirating their software,
B) becoming used to their tools (being completely unfamiliar with CAD as an engineer is a bad start), and
C) starting in the Autodesk ecosystem.
As long as students keep using Autodesk's platform, Autodesk is:
A) strengthening its market share
B) able to continue development (because the now-working previously students are using their software)
C) Relevant in the college setting, where professors have a large say in what goes and what doesn't.
There are probably always going to be college students, there are probably always going to be engineering jobs, and engineers will always need to have a CAD package. As long as those two things exist, Autodesk (or any other company with a CAD package) can gain goodwill, ensure relevancy, and invest in their future by giving their software away for free now. This is "gaming" a market in a long-term symbiotic manner.
Full disclosure: I'm an engineering student, in high school, and really appreciate the free copies of Autodesk Inventor and Dassault Systemes' Solidworks that I've gotten.