Executive Spotlight: Dylan Field, Co-Founder and CEO of Figma (2027)
Dylan Field is the co-founder and chief executive officer of Figma, the collaborative design software company. Figma's August 5, 2026 earnings release filed with the SEC names him as CEO, and a Stratechery interview from June 25, 2026 introduces him as co-founder and CEO.
He started Figma in 2012 with Evan Wallace after leaving Brown University on a Thiel Fellowship. Fortune reports the company went public on the New York Stock Exchange on July 31, 2025, after Adobe's $20 billion offer for Figma was abandoned in 2023.
This page uses public professional information only.
Current role and company
Field is Figma's CEO. Figma is a publicly traded company, and its second quarter 2026 results release, filed with the SEC on a Form 8-K, quotes him as CEO saying Figma is building the canvas for full-stack creation.
- SEC Form 8-K (August 5, 2026)Quoted as Figma's CEO in the Q2 2026 results release.
- Stratechery (June 25, 2026)Interviewed as co-founder and CEO of Figma.
- Fortune (August 1, 2025)Describes him as Figma's co-founder, with the company now public.
Career path
- Early years. Fortune reports he is from Penngrove, California, and worked as a child actor in the early 1990s.
- Internships, 2011 to 2012. Fortune says he held part-time roles while at Brown University, including a research assistant stint at Microsoft, a data analytics internship at LinkedIn, and two internships at Flipboard, the second through the Kleiner Perkins Fellows Program.
- Thiel Fellowship, 2012. He received the $100,000 fellowship for young entrepreneurs who leave college, and used it to start Figma, per Fortune.
- Co-founding Figma, 2012. He started the company with Evan Wallace, then a Brown teaching assistant. Fortune says Wallace left Figma in 2021.
- CEO of a public company, 2025 onward. Figma listed on the NYSE on July 31, 2025, per Fortune.
What he is known for
- A browser-based design tool. Fortune says Figma launched publicly in September 2016, after Index Ventures led its 2013 seed round with $1.7 million. Fortune also quotes an Index partner saying the founders warned investors there would be no product for about two years.
- The Adobe deal that did not close. Adobe agreed in September 2022 to buy Figma for $20 billion. Fortune reports regulatory obstacles ended the deal in 2023 and Adobe paid a $1 billion breakup fee.
- A large venture-backed IPO. Fortune reports the stock rose 250% on its first day, closing at $115.50 for a valuation near $68 billion, and calls it the largest U.S. venture-backed tech IPO in four years.
Leadership style and philosophy
Our sources are the June 2026 Stratechery interview and a September 2022 Index Ventures conversation, both summarized here in our own words, not quoted.
- Views on AI. In the Stratechery interview he describes AI as a tailwind that expands Figma's market and says he wants models to be swappable. He argues AI tends to produce average output, and that standout work needs human judgment.
- Team versus solo work. He warns that people building alone with AI can develop tunnel vision that stalls teams, and wants Figma to support both working together and working apart.
- Focus. He says Figma should concentrate on its own execution and user value rather than argue with market narratives, and values independence because it lets the company change direction quickly.
- Trust and learning. The Index Ventures page summarizes him as valuing reverse mentorship, deep trust within the team, and closeness to customers worldwide.
Key numbers (Figma, company-reported, Q2 2026)
These figures come from Figma's second quarter 2026 results, released August 5, 2026, and cover the quarter ended June 30, 2026 unless noted.
- Revenue (Q2 2026)$370.1 million, up 48% year over year; growth accelerated for a third straight quarter.
- Net dollar retention (June 30, 2026)136%.
- Customers above $100K ARR (June 30, 2026)1,635, up 46% year over year.
- Free cash flow (Q2 2026)$53.2 million, a 14% margin.
- Q3 2026 revenue guidance (company)$373.0 million to $375.0 million.
- Full-year 2026 revenue guidance (company)$1.463 billion to $1.467 billion, a $40.0 million raise.
What to watch next
Worth tracking: whether Figma meets its raised 2026 revenue guidance, and how it builds AI model flexibility into its products.
Questions people ask
Who is Dylan Field?
He is the co-founder and CEO of Figma, the design software company he started in 2012 with Evan Wallace.
Is Dylan Field still Figma's CEO?
Yes. Figma's August 5, 2026 earnings release and a June 25, 2026 Stratechery interview both identify him as CEO.
When did Figma go public?
Fortune reports Figma began trading on the New York Stock Exchange on July 31, 2025.
What happened with Adobe's offer for Figma?
Adobe agreed in September 2022 to buy Figma for $20 billion. Regulatory obstacles ended the deal in 2023 and Adobe paid a $1 billion breakup fee, per Fortune.
How did Dylan Field start Figma?
He left Brown University after receiving a $100,000 Thiel Fellowship in 2012 and co-founded Figma that year with Evan Wallace.
Sources
- SEC: Figma Form 8-K, Q2 2026 results (August 5, 2026) · CEO title, company-reported figures and guidance
- Stratechery: An Interview with Figma CEO Dylan Field (June 25, 2026) · Current title and views on AI and design
- Fortune: Figma IPO and Dylan Field (August 1, 2025) · Background, founding, Adobe deal, IPO
- Index Ventures: Candid with Dylan Field (September 20, 2022) · Leadership themes
- Wikipedia: Dylan Field · Pointer only; dates cross-checked
Facts were read from the linked pages on October 31, 2026. Some pages were read through a fetch tool that returns summaries, so confirm details on the original page. The hero photo is by TechCrunch via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0), centered on a card. Financial figures are company-reported. This page covers public professional information only.
Top photo: TechCrunch / CC BY 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons