WorldCAD Access

No Pay, No Play

Enforcing subscriptions A reader asks, I am quite curious how this subscription change shakes out for Autodesk. I find that everyone is considering alternatives now, which is new. - G.R. I think that all of Autodesk's customers who want to be on subscriptions have already signed up. They have had several years to get on board. That's about a couple of million, less than half of the total number of customers who use Autodesk's mainline software. As of January 31, Autodesk stopped selling software with permanent licenses. Two exceptions: LT lost the permanent license option last year (it was used... Read more →

What Carl Bass Said About Activist Investors

The ghost of "Chainsaw" Al comes a'knocking Activist investors want to maximize the profit of public companies, ie, ones that sell shares to the public. Once investors have at least 5% of the company's shares, they can get a seat on the board of directors. Once on the board of directors, they can influence the direction of the company with the sole aim of increasing the value of shares. For example, Autodesk's M&E (media & entertainment) division has been for many years doing poorly, with sales falling year after year. Autodesk keeps it around for all the Oscars the software... Read more →