Autodesk Company History: The Early Years, 1982 to 2000

In the early 1980s, Autodesk began as a partnership with limited startup capital and a drafting program comprising approximately 12,000 lines of source code. This early history of the company, from its founding through 2000, highlights its rapid growth, strategic pivots, and willingness to adapt to changing market demands. Autodesk's decision to focus on AutoCAD, initially a simple drafting tool, proved to be the cornerstone of its success. By continuously refining AutoCAD, introducing specialized versions, and capitalizing on its competitive advantages, Autodesk transformed from a small startup into a multibillion-dollar software firm. AutoCAD would go on to dominate the CAD industry for decades, as the company's flagship product.