Autodesk to go subscription-only within 24 months
The company announced at its Autodesk Investor Day that it plans to phase out perpetual software licences over the next 12-24 months, leaving maintenance and desktop subscriptions as the only way to buy its products.
During his presentation, Autodesk SVP Andrew Anagnost said that the company intended to target the 2.9 million customers who use versions of its products one to five years old.
“These are not pirates . these are real customers. They just happen to purchase from us perpetual licences on an infrequent basis, because they can,” he said. “This really isn’t good for our ecosystem.”
“We not only believe [subscription] is the right thing for our business, we believe it’s the right thing for our customers,” Anagnost continued. “Not only does this provide the lowest-cost access to the offerings our customers have ever seen, it also provides a superior experience. Because we believe in this so much, over the next 12 to 24 months, we’re going to stop selling perpetual licences.”
The withdrawal of perpetual licences will be phased in by geographical region and by product, with Anagnost identifying AutoCAD LT as the company’s initial focus.
Anagnost noted that Autodesk intends to introduce new subscription packages, such as ‘buy three years, pay annually’, which may reduce the cost for committed users.
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