How Adobe Chose to Fight AI Disruption (And What Kodak & Microsoft Teach Us) | MKT2700 Week 7

Описание: 🎯 This week we examine the biggest strategic question in product design right now: when a disruptive technology threatens your entire business, do you deny it, adapt to it, or try to build it responsibly? We trace three real-world answers — Kodak's denial, Microsoft's transformation under Satya Nadella, and Adobe's bet on Firefly — and connect them to product architecture decisions you'll face in your own career.

⏱️ TIMESTAMPS:
0:00 - Introduction: Week 7 Overview
X:XX - Housekeeping & Grading Reminder
X:XX - The Semester Project: Problem to Pitch Timeline
X:XX - Week 7 Mission: All Deliverables
X:XX - GenAI's Impact on Creative Industries
X:XX - The Shift: From Maker to Curator
X:XX - This Week's Discussion: Microsoft Case
X:XX - Product Architecture & Platform Strategy (Ch. 10)
X:XX - The Adobe Dilemma: December 2022
X:XX - Adobe's Answer: Firefly
X:XX - Three Companies, Three Choices
X:XX - Your Prototyping Toolkit
X:XX - Phase 2: Build Your Prototype
X:XX - Deep Case #2: Adobe Analysis
X:XX - Closing & Next Steps

📚 THIS WEEK'S ASSIGNMENTS:
Watch Lecture: AI's Creative War
Read: Chapter 10 — Product Architecture (Ulrich & Eppinger)
Read: Adobe GenAI case (HBS 525-052) — carefully, you're writing about it
Watch: Adobe Firefly launch video (~15 min)
Read: "Future of Design" articles
Discussion: Microsoft "Satya Nadella Instilling a Growth Mindset" case (2 pts) — Due Thursday/Sunday
Quiz: Ch. 10 + articles & videos (0.7 pt) — Due Sunday
Team Project: Setup Phase 2 development tools — Due March 23
NotebookLM check-in: Upload case + Ch. 10, share 1 insight (1 pt)
⭐ DEEP CASE #2 DUE: Adobe Analysis — 5-7 pages — 12.5% of your grade

✨ RESOURCES MENTIONED:

Adobe Firefly launch video — See how Adobe positions AI as enhancement, not replacement
"Future of Design" articles — How AI shifts designers from makers to curators
Microsoft Growth Mindset case (LBS128) — Ibarra & Rattan (2018)
Adobe GenAI case (HBS 525-052) — The build-buy-partner strategic decision
Content Authenticity Initiative (C2PA) — Adobe, Microsoft, BBC, Nikon

💡 KEY FRAMEWORKS:

Product Architecture — Modular vs. Integral design decisions (Ch. 10)
Platform Strategy — One engine (Firefly), many products (Photoshop, Illustrator, Express, Stock, Premiere)
Build-Buy-Partner Decision — Three paths for responding to disruptive technology
Content Credentials / C2PA — Proving provenance of AI-generated content
Growth Mindset (Carol Dweck) — How culture enables or prevents product transformation
The Course Narrative Arc — Kodak (Denial → Bankruptcy) vs. Microsoft (Adapt → Transform) vs. Adobe (Build Responsibly?)

🛠️ PROTOTYPING TOOLS COVERED:

Claude Code — Terminal-based AI agent for full-stack apps and PRD-to-prototype
Claude Opus 4.6 — Strategic thinking, case analysis, PRD writing
Google Images (Nano Banana Pro / VEO 3) — Product renders, packaging, marketing visuals
GitHub — Version control, collaboration, deployment (free for students)

🔑 KEY PRINCIPLES:

If anyone can create "good enough" designs, the differentiator is strategic thinking and judgment
Integral architecture locks in competitive advantage — Firefly woven INTO apps, not bolted on
Ethical training data is a product decision, not just a legal one
The companies that thrive are the ones that build responsibly
Domain expertise + AI fluency = exponential value

📖 TEXTBOOK REFERENCE:
Ulrich, Eppinger & Yang — Product Design and Development, Chapter 10: Product Architecture

📘 COURSE INFO:
MKT2700: Product Design & Development
Northeastern University • College of Professional Studies
Instructor: Brad Scheller
Spring 2026

👥 WHO THIS IS FOR:
Product designers and managers navigating AI disruption
MBA/graduate students studying product strategy and innovation
Creative professionals questioning how AI changes their role
Entrepreneurs making build-buy-partner decisions for AI features
Anyone interested in how Adobe, Microsoft, and Kodak responded to existential threats
Innovation leaders evaluating platform architecture decisions

🔗 RELATED TOPICS:
Product Architecture, Platform Strategy, Build vs Buy, Adobe Firefly, Generative AI, Creative Industry Disruption, Modular vs Integral Design, Content Authenticity, Satya Nadella, Growth Mindset, Digital Transformation, AI Ethics, Kodak Failure, Microsoft Transformation, Stage-Gate Process

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