SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH: Adobe co-founder John Warnock, who contributed to the invention of the PDF, has died, the tech company stated on Sunday, August 21. He was 82.
According to a statement from Adobe, Warnock died on Saturday, August 20, surrounded by loved ones. His cause of death or where he died was not revealed.
Adobe CEO Shantanu Narayen wrote in an email to all staff members, "It is with profound sadness that I share that our beloved co-founder Dr. John Warnock passed away at the age of 82."
Narayen's email added, "John's brilliance and technology innovations changed the world. It is a sad day for the Adobe community and the industry for which he has been an inspiration for decades."
Warnock is survived by his wife, Marva Mullins, and their three children.
John Warnock co-founded Adobe in 1982
As per Associated Press, Warnock worked for Xerox before founding a startup in 1982 with his friend Charles Geschke based on a failed idea.
Warnock relocated to Palo Alto, California, in the late '70s to work with Xerox on interactive computer graphics. He met Geschke there, and they got to work creating InterPress.
They founded Adobe in 1982 and helped make small-scale printing a reality for the first time with the aid of the PostScript program.
Later, the business invented the PDF, which allowed consumers to produce electronic documents that could be saved and transferred to other users for search and review.
With that, Adobe took off, and many paper copies in legal, business and personal communications were created in PDF.
Warnock retired in 2000 and served as the company's co-chairman until 2017.
John Warnock was a 'mediocre' student
Warnock, originally from the Holladay neighborhood of Salt Lake City, described himself as an average student who eventually excelled in mathematics.
According to a 2013 interview for the alumni publication Continuum at the University of Utah, despite being the son of a well-known local attorney, he described himself as a "mediocre" student.
That was until a teacher at Olympus High School became interested in him.
He graduated from the University of Utah with a doctorate in electrical engineering, or computer science, and a bachelor's degree in mathematics.
Even after leaving his position as CEO of Adobe, he maintained his close links with Utah.
John Warnock received the National Medal of Technology and Innovation
Former president Barack Obama presented Warnock with the National Medal of Technology and Innovation in 2009 in recognition of his accomplishments.
Warnock also earned the Marconi Prize for contributions to information science and communications, the American Electronics Association Medal of Achievement and the Computer Entrepreneur Award from the IEEE Computer Society.
Narayen stated, "While the impact that his innovations have had are countless, it is his indomitable spirit, passion and belief in building a company with strong values that has impacted all of us who have had the good fortune of working at Adobe."
Tributes pur in for John Warnock
Several followers and admirers took to social media to pay tributes to the eminent personality.
One user wrote, "I am deeply saddened to hear of the passing of Dr. John Warnock. He was a true pioneer in the field of computer graphics, and his work has had a profound impact on the world.
The user continued, "Dr. Warnock was co-founder of Adobe Systems, where he helped to develop the PostScript language and the PDF format."
The user further stated, "These innovations have revolutionized the way we create and share documents, and they have had a major impact on the publishing, printing, and design industries."
The user added, "Dr. Warnock was also a strong advocate for open standards, and he was a founding member of the International Color Consortium."
The user concluded by writing, "His work has helped to ensure that color images can be shared and viewed consistently across different devices and platforms."
A second wrote, "Sad to hear about the pass on of adobe ci founder. Having done reasearch about him when I was just coming up in design."
The user added, "I learnt a lot about purpose and how chasing your vision can affect and change the world. Which he clearly did. Thanks for the impact sir."
A third tweeted, "What a legend. John Warnock, cofounder of @Adobe, was the godfather of the creative software industry."
The person added, "Thank you for helping designers and creatives become who we are today. Rest easy, John (1940–2023)."
Another wrote, "The world of technology just lost one of the all-time greats, @jewarnock, co-founder of @Adobe. If you've ever printed a document, read a PDF, or worked on graphic design, you've used a John Warnock invention."
A fifth wrote, "I am so sorry to hear of the passing of Adobe cofounder John Warnock. He changed all our lives, and those of millions more, for the better. God bless and godspeed, sir."
