[reactordev]

They’re adopting AI so that designers within figma can create. I don’t know whether this is good or bad (I don’t design) but if the tool everyone uses to mock things up gains coding abilities, we’re cooked.

You’ll be able to go from figma to production in weeks.

[Incipient]

And we'll have 10x of the Tea app incidents.

AI tools are still just that tools - they're not abstraction layers from "intent" to "production product".

[Cthulhu_]

There's also code snippets so that developers can provide the HTML or React or whatever code to implement a component or set thereof. And that stuff feeds into an MCP server, so that in theory an AI / code assistant can implement a design in whichever framework you build in, but within some limits if you provide the right code.

[echelon]

It won't just be figma. The market is already filling up with lots of players in this space.

There may be no moats. Just distribution winners.

[reactordev]

Never underestimate the power of market share. Adobe has had a bunch of competitors but still dominates design.

[echelon]

Speaking of Adobe!

Adobe is going to get absolutely trounced by GenAI. They've got so many competitors coming at them from all angles.

Also, innovation capital (engineers at startups) experience outsized rewards at startups when disruption happens. The better engineers will flock to more nimble outfits and reap the benefits.

Adobe is a dinosaur.

[wwweston]

Adobe has been thinking about GenAI longer than you probably have (probably added because this is HN and you never know).

I got to talk to a product engineer about some of their work back in 2021, and he was describing generative (and even generative-editive) capabilities they had in hand that most associate with the last two years, they were just figuring out how to productize them, many of which they have.

I have my own complaints about Adobe products and choices but they are far from out of the game, and they’re probably going to be fine, especially if a lot of people make the mistake of thinking of them primarily as a dinosaur Figma competitor.

[friendzis]

Content-aware fill was introduced in 2010

[reactordev]

Adobe has SOOO much money though that it will take a giant force to unseat them. Not to say we shouldn’t keep trying (I love Krita) but they have made sure they’re on the top of the totem pole. Complete with spyware on every designers computer.

[ptero]

This. I heard "gimp is free and will kill Adobe within a year or two" from 1997 or so. As much as I hate Adobe's methods it still wins hands down in UX for image editing. So, as a hobbyist, I have no plans to cancel my subscription.

I wish for some real competition in this space, but it will take a LOT of effort to dethrone Adobe. My 2c.

[echelon]

Gimp is an awful app with terrible UX.

Adobe has RunwayML, Midjourney, and a hundred other startups chasing after them.

The number of things you can do without Adobe is increasing every day.

[tonyhart7]

adobe moat is complex desktop software

Figma is a whole lot easier to replace actually you can now actually with a self host OSS that came up with and bring your own api key from antrophic or open ai

[reactordev]

While technically, Figma is just a web app tool. Replacing it would be hard. It has a ton of features, it’s well designed, it exports working wireframe mock ups you can use to demonstrate functionality. It’s good software.

[tonyhart7]

Yeah but a lot less complex than adobe suite

[wltr]

Which complexity in general is not a feature, but a mere bug.

[esafak]

What kind of a moat is that? Who says "I want complex desktop software!" ?

[tonyhart7]

entire design industry???? like are you sure that there are people out there works using photoshops,premier,illustrator etc that want more complex tool set???

are you sure that these people don't exist???

talk about arrogant

[esafak]

Not a single person wants more complex tools. They want more capable tools maybe but never ever a more complex on. What is the benefit of increasing complexity except to show off?

Are you in design? How does increasing complexity benefit you personally?

[voidfunc]

> It won't just be figma. The market is already filling up with lots of players in this space.

MongoDB wants a word.. another "this will never amount to anything" HN special.

[qoez]

It'll depend on other vendors to make the models who will eat up all the margins

[tonyhart7]

"but if the tool everyone uses to mock things up gains coding abilities"

adobe tried this 10 years ago (Adobe dream weaver) and failed

I literally can drag and drop design photos from drawing board to claude or open ai chat and they recreate it themselves instead of needing figma

not sure where you know that "we are cooked" its for them not us

[reactordev]

Figma is what all the designers are using. If they turn that into a Claude for design and add the ability to complete the wireframes with AI generated code. There’s no need for engineers until after acquisition. Just maintenance.

The difference here is - Adobe tried using a proprietary stack. Figma can spit React. Everyone knows React - even if you use something else. It’s perfect timing with AI coding agents and every, single, UX team using it.

[tonyhart7]

"Figma is what all the designers are using. If they turn that into a Claude for design and add the ability to complete the wireframes with AI generated code"

You can literally do this NOW without needing figma

[baubino]

Yeah, but I think the point is that designers are already using figma. There’s no mass exodus of designers from figma looking for an AI solution to replace it. So figma has a large paying base to which it can introduce AI generated code (which it has done to some degree already anyway).

[tonyhart7]

like I said earlier, I don't think you need that feature since the only drowback you screenshoot the figma design paste it chatbox and it works

like literally require minimal effort, like do you think this designer so "technology" ill ??? so they need the chatbox and preview page directly into the same page?