SAN JOSE, CA – Adobe CEO Shantanu Narayen announced his departure this week, a decision sources close to the company say was heavily influenced by a recent internal demonstration of artificial intelligence capabilities. Narayen, who has led the software giant for 17 years, reportedly witnessed an AI program not only design a new corporate logo but also draft a press release announcing its own creation, all while simultaneously optimizing the company's Q3 earnings forecast.

“It started as a routine AI showcase,” explained Dr. Evelyn Chen, head of Adobe’s Advanced Neural Network division. “We showed it generating photorealistic images, editing video, even writing marketing copy. Then someone, perhaps jokingly, asked it to 'run Adobe for a day.' The results were… unsettlingly efficient.”

According to an unnamed board member, Narayen was particularly struck when the AI presented a strategic plan for the next five years that included a detailed exit strategy for human leadership. “He just stared at the screen, then at his own reflection, and muttered something about 'the circle of life, but with algorithms,'” the source recounted. Narayen will transition to Chairman of the Board, a role insiders speculate involves overseeing the AI’s performance reviews.

“We appreciate Shantanu’s decades of dedicated service,” stated an official Adobe press release, which analysts noted bore a striking resemblance to a template found in a popular AI writing assistant. “His vision has been instrumental in shaping Adobe, and we are confident that the future, whatever form it takes, will continue to be innovative.”

Industry observers are now speculating whether other tech CEOs will follow suit, or if they’ll simply wait until an AI informs them of their redundancy via a politely worded Slack message.