The stock price growth looks wonderful until the day it doesn't.
The point of this discussion is that Adobe is essentially stealing from its future self by making short-sighted decisions. To a significant extent, they're cashing out their customer loyalty, and that loss of loyalty makes them much more vulnerable to attrition. Gradual attrition will slow their growth; a major attrition event, which they're now making possible, could rapidly reverse it.
But if it has looked wonderful -- like really wonderful -- for the last twelve years that also says something. I would've argued that Adobe was stealing from its future ten years ago when they started started using this model and I would clearly have been wrong. I don't see what's different for them over the next 10 years either because I've apparently underestimated peoples' complacency with being fleeced.
The point of this discussion is that Adobe is essentially stealing from its future self by making short-sighted decisions. To a significant extent, they're cashing out their customer loyalty, and that loss of loyalty makes them much more vulnerable to attrition. Gradual attrition will slow their growth; a major attrition event, which they're now making possible, could rapidly reverse it.