Adobe Is Pathetic

Summary

The speaker vehemently criticizes Adobe for alleged underhanded practices, detailing how Adobe's updated terms of use grant them broad rights to users' content, potentially for AI training. The outrage sparked by these terms led to Adobe revising the language, but the speaker remains skeptical, accusing Adobe of disregarding customer trust. They advocate for alternative software, emphasizing the ease of cancellation should not lag behind subscription convenience, and hint at Adobe's history of prioritizing profits over user experience.

Takeaways

• 📢 The speaker canceled their Adobe subscription due to concerns about Adobe's new terms of use, which they believe are exploitative.
• 🔍 Adobe's updated terms of use include a license that gives Adobe broad rights to use customers' content, potentially for AI training and commercial purposes.
• 👀 The speaker alleges that Adobe's terms were not transparent and that they were changed without clear communication to users.
• 🚫 The initial terms were perceived as a 'ransom' because users had to agree to them to continue using Adobe's software, even in the middle of projects.
• 🔥 Public outcry and the viral spread of the issue on social media led Adobe to revise their terms to clarify that they will not use customer content to train AI models.
• 🤔 The speaker questions Adobe's motives, suggesting that the company may have intentionally tried to exploit user data for financial gain.
• 💬 Adobe's response to the controversy was seen as gaslighting and dismissive, with the company claiming that users misunderstood the terms.
• 🛑 Adobe eventually made changes to their terms, explicitly stating they will not use customer content for AI training without consent.
• 📉 The incident may have led to a loss of trust and a drop in Adobe's subscription numbers, as users like the speaker sought alternatives.
• 🛍️ The speaker recommends exploring alternative software options that do not impose the same restrictions or potential misuse of user content.
• 📉 Adobe's subscription model and difficulty in canceling subscriptions are criticized, suggesting a lack of customer-centric practices.

Q & A

Why did the speaker cancel their Adobe subscription?

The speaker canceled their Adobe subscription due to concerns about Adobe's updated terms of use, which they believe could allow Adobe to use their content for AI training and commercial purposes without proper consent.

What is the main issue with Adobe's terms of use update according to the speaker?

The main issue is that the updated terms of use grant Adobe a non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free license to use, reproduce, modify, and create derivative works from the user's content, which the speaker interprets as a potential misuse of their work for Adobe's commercial gain.

What is Creative Cloud and why is it significant in this context?

Creative Cloud is a suite of over 20 Adobe applications used for content creation, including Photoshop and Premier Pro. It is significant because the terms of use update applies to all users of these tools, potentially affecting a wide range of content creators.

Why did Adobe's response to the controversy seem insincere to the speaker?

The speaker found Adobe's response insincere because they felt Adobe was gaslighting its customers by claiming that the terms of use were misunderstood, despite the clear language in the updated terms that could be interpreted as granting broad rights to Adobe.

What did Adobe claim in their clarification about not using customer content to train AI models?

Adobe claimed that they do not train their generative AI models, specifically Firefly, on customer content, but rather on licensed content such as Adobe Stock and public domain content.

What was the community's reaction to Adobe's initial response to the terms of use controversy?

The community reacted negatively, with many people, including the speaker, canceling their Adobe accounts, which led Adobe to revise their terms and provide a more explicit clarification.

What changes did Adobe make to their terms and conditions after the public outcry?

Adobe expanded the terms and conditions to include a specific section clarifying that they will not use customer content to market, promote, or train generative AI models, except at the customer's specific request.

Why does the speaker believe Adobe's actions are unethical?

The speaker believes Adobe's actions are unethical because they feel Adobe is exploiting customer content without explicit consent for AI training, which could eventually replace the work of content creators and deprive them of royalties.

What alternative software does the speaker recommend instead of Adobe products?

The speaker recommends DaVinci Resolve for video editing and Affinity Photo as an alternative to Photoshop, noting that these alternatives can be purchased outright without monthly subscriptions.

What is the speaker's view on Adobe's subscription model compared to the previous model where users could buy the software?

The speaker criticizes Adobe's subscription model as greedy and customer-unfriendly, arguing that it is designed to lock users into a continuous payment plan, unlike the previous model where users could purchase and own the software indefinitely.

How does the US government's lawsuit against Adobe relate to the speaker's grievances?

The US government's lawsuit against Adobe for making it difficult to cancel subscriptions aligns with the speaker's grievances about Adobe's practices, suggesting a broader pattern of customer-unfriendly behavior.

Outlines

00:00

😠 Adobe Subscription Cancellation and Content Rights Concerns

The speaker expresses frustration with Adobe's recent changes to their terms of use, which they believe gives Adobe the right to use customers' content for AI training and commercial purposes without proper consent. They recount the discovery of these terms, the public's reaction, and Adobe's subsequent clarifications, which they view as disingenuous. The speaker urges others to consider the implications of these terms and to explore alternative software options.

05:02

🤔 Questioning Adobe's AI Training Data and Ethical Concerns

This paragraph delves into the specifics of Adobe's AI model training practices, questioning the ethics of using licensed content and potentially infringing on creators' rights. The speaker criticizes Adobe's attempt to clarify their stance through a blog post and a lawyer's video, viewing it as patronizing and insincere. They highlight the discrepancy between Adobe's public statements and the actual terms of use, suggesting a lack of transparency and respect for customers.

10:03

📸 The Impact of Adobe's AI on Stock Contributors and Subscription Practices

The speaker discusses the potential negative impact of Adobe's AI on stock photographers and video creators who contribute to Adobe Stock, fearing that their work could be used to train AI models that might eventually replace them. They also criticize Adobe's subscription practices, including the difficulty of canceling a subscription and the lack of transparency regarding the terms of the agreement. The speaker emphasizes Adobe's disregard for customer concerns and their focus on profit.

15:05

🛑 Moving Away from Adobe: Exploring Alternatives and Encouraging Action

In the final paragraph, the speaker shares their decision to stop using Adobe products and encourages others to do the same. They highlight the availability of alternative software tools that do not impose the same restrictions on content rights and do not require a subscription model. The speaker warns against Adobe's potential to exploit customers in new ways in the future and suggests that the time has come for content creators to seek out more ethical and customer-friendly options.

Keywords

💡Adobe

Adobe is a multinational software company known for its creative software suite, including Photoshop and Premiere Pro. In the video, the speaker criticizes Adobe for its subscription policies and alleged misuse of user content. The term is used to represent the company being discussed throughout the video.

💡Subscription

A subscription refers to a business model where customers pay a periodic fee to have access to products or services. In the context of the video, the speaker expresses dissatisfaction with Adobe's subscription model, particularly the difficulty in canceling it and the perceived lack of transparency.

💡Creative Cloud

Creative Cloud is a suite of software and services by Adobe used for graphic design, video editing, web development, and photography. The script mentions it as the platform where users log in and where the controversial terms of use were introduced.

💡Terms of Use

Terms of Use are legal agreements between a service provider and its users, outlining the rules and conditions for using the service. The video focuses on Adobe's updated terms, which the speaker claims allow Adobe to access and use users' content without explicit consent.

💡Content Creator

A content creator is an individual or entity that produces various forms of content, such as videos, images, or written material. The script discusses the potential impact of Adobe's terms on content creators, suggesting that their work could be used to train Adobe's AI without compensation.

💡AI Data

AI Data refers to the information used to train artificial intelligence models. The video script alleges that Adobe wants to use users' content as AI data, which could lead to the creation of AI that might replace human content creators.

💡Gaslighting

Gaslighting is a form of manipulation where a person makes someone question their own reality or perceptions. The speaker accuses Adobe of gaslighting its customers by claiming that the controversy over the terms of use was a misunderstanding.

💡Derivative Work

A derivative work is a new creation that is based on one or more existing works. The video mentions a term in Adobe's agreement that allows them to create derivative works from users' content, which raises concerns about the potential misuse of intellectual property.

💡Licensing

Licensing refers to the permission granted by the owner of a resource (such as intellectual property) to another party for its use. The script discusses Adobe's licensing terms, which the speaker believes are overly broad and potentially exploitative.

💡Stock Photos

Stock photos are pre-taken photographs that can be licensed for a variety of uses. The video raises concerns that Adobe may use stock photos from its Adobe Stock platform to train AI without additional compensation to the photographers who contributed the images.

💡Alternative Software

The term refers to other software options available in the market that can perform similar functions to Adobe's products. The speaker recommends alternative software like DaVinci Resolve and Affinity Photo as potential replacements for Adobe's tools, emphasizing the importance of not giving away rights to one's content.

Highlights

Adobe's controversial terms of use update allows them to access user content for AI training.

User backlash led to Adobe revising their terms to explicitly state they won't use customer content for AI training without consent.

Adobe's initial terms were vague, potentially allowing them to use any content created with their software for AI purposes.

The public outcry forced Adobe to clarify that they will not market or promote using user content.

Adobe's terms initially included a broad license for operating or improving their services and software.

Adobe's response to the controversy was perceived as gaslighting and dishonesty by the community.

Adobe's legal team provided a video explaining the terms, which was criticized for being patronizing and disingenuous.

Adobe's use of Adobe Stock content for AI training raises ethical concerns about consent and compensation for content creators.

The US government is suing Adobe for making it difficult for customers to cancel their subscriptions.

Adobe's subscription model is criticized for being opaque and not offering the same ease of cancellation as the sign-up process.

The speaker recommends alternative software like DaVinci Resolve and Affinity Photo as Adobe alternatives.

Adobe's historical dominance in the creative software market is challenged by emerging competitors.

The speaker emphasizes the importance of customer choice and the availability of non-Adobe tools for content creation.

Adobe's business practices are compared to a 'ransom' due to their subscription model and difficulty in canceling.

The narrative suggests that Adobe may exploit any opportunity to monetize at the expense of their customer's interests.

Content creators are encouraged to explore and adopt alternative tools to avoid potential exploitation by Adobe.

The speaker shares a personal anecdote of difficulty in canceling their Adobe business license, illustrating poor customer service.

Transcripts

I just cancelled my Adobe subscription

after many many years as a customer and

so should you because Adobe is a

pathetic company Adobe wants to steal

your work Adobe wants to use it to train

their AI data and then Adobe wants to

sell that AI data to make lots and lots

of money to replace the work of the

content creators that it's stealing the

data from now there is a lot to unpack

in this story trust me is going to be

good and it's going to be unfiltered get

yourself a bag of popcorn and let's

start at the beginning a couple of weeks

ago Adobe came out and published this

notice for all Adobe users logging into

their Creative Cloud account Creative

Cloud is the new name not very new name

for all the tools that people use to

create content it's Photoshop for images

it's Premier Pro for video and there's

25 other apps as well so this notice

casually said we've made some changes to

the Adobe general terms of use first

bullet point clarify that we may access

your content through both automated and

manual methods such as for Content

review sections 2.2 and 4.1 and at the

bottom your only option is to click

accept and continue There is no option

that says no thank you if you're in the

middle of a project in the middle of

your work in the middle of a client

project using their software your only

choice to continue working on it is to

agree to these terms you cannot proceed

without you are being held to Ransom and

what are these new terms that they

introduced you might wonder well I took

a screenshot and posted it on Twitter

that screenshot went a bit viral over 19

million views every newspaper wrote

about it section 4.2 says licenses to

your content I highlighted the critical

bit it says you grant us a non-exclusive

worldwide royalty-free sublicensable

license to use reproduce publicly

display distribute modify create

derivative work based on publicly

perform and translate the content the

clarifier is of course that it's solely

for the purposes of operating or

improving the services and software

which really can mean pretty much

whatever Adobe wants it to mean and

content here doesn't just mean the stuff

that you upload to their cloud look at

the definition above it's any test

information blah blah blah that you

upload import into embed for use by or

create create using the services and

software so in this section if you edit

a private video or a private photo on

your laptop and you created it using

Adobe software then according to these

terms Adobe owns a license to do pretty

much whatever it is that they want with

it according to this if you go and buy a

paintbrush from the shop then the shop

owns a Perpetual license to do whatever

they want with any painting you draw

using that paintbrush now those terms

and conditions actually went went live

in February but Adobe chose not to tell

their users about this change until June

that of course was not at all

intentional just a slight oversight

happens all the time but the worst bit

is that these specific Clauses were not

even particularly new nobody knew about

them but they've been there since 2022 2

years ago they just didn't tell their

users who have been using their software

that they added some Clauses that allow

Adobe to steal your work and use it for

commercial game I started my YouTube

channel back in March 2020 I was an

Adobe customer before that but that's

when I really started to use the

software a lot more and back then the

same Clause was worded very differently

you see it said when you upload at the

start of the Clause because it only

applied to things they upload to the

cloud and at the end it said as needed

in response to user driven actions so

they deleted those bids because it gives

them the right to spy on the content on

your computer not just the stuff you

upload otherwise why would you delete

that bit right and then they also spy on

it without user driven action AKA

without you having to specifically give

them the authorization just whenever the

[ __ ] it is that they want so I was very

pissed off naturally so were many other

people I have cancelled my company's

account and I suspect so did many others

and that sent Adobe into Panic here is

what happened next Adobe decided that

the best mitigation strategy against

this crisis is gaslighting and lying of

course they said we recently made an

update to our terms of use with the goal

of providing more clarity on a few

specific areas we have received a number

of questions resulting from this update

and want to provide some clarity there

is a lot of driil in here but the best

bit is this Adobe does not train Firefly

generative AI models on customer content

and Firefly generative AI models are

trained on a data set of licensed

content such as Adobe stock and public

domain content first off why was there a

need to specify exactly which generative

AI model does not use customer data so

Firefly apparently doesn't but what

about the model that they are currently

working on and planning to release next

year whatever that's called hm seems

very odd to be so incredibly specific

rather than just say we don't train AI

models but the really disgusting bit is

this Firefly generative AI models are

trained on a data set of license Ed

content such as whatever and these new

terms the ones that you have to

subscribe to they do what they give

Adobe a worldwide license to your

content to improve their services you

see the connection there right they

technically don't train AI on customer

data because they train it on licensed

data only and by agreeing to these terms

you agree to them having a license to

your data including private data on your

laptop of course Adobe then put out a

blog post gaslighting their customers

and saying that this is all a huge

misunderstanding you see everyone is

just overreacting people don't know how

to read they're so dumb I'm so we just

so stupid this is completely not at all

what Adobe wanted to do that's not what

the terms say even though that is

exactly what they say they absolutely

did not try to steal your content

through the back door so that they can

increase massively the training data set

for their AI models Adobe wants you to

believe that their army of lawyers sat

there working on these terms and

conditions and they genuinely did not

intend to make these terms give them a

license to your work even though that is

exactly specifically expressly what it

says black and white in those terms and

conditions I personally don't believe

that [ __ ] for a second so then Adobe

published a blog post to help clarify

the changes except this blog post

specifically didn't address address

section 4.2 which was the main problem

massive gaslighting then Scott bsky the

chief strategy officer from Adobe

replied to my tweet linking to that blog

post saying every cloud service requires

a license solely for the purpose of

operating blah blah blah I replied to

him saying I give precisely zero [ __ ]

about adobe's clarifications or blog

post you forced people to sign new terms

legally they are the only thing that

matters and the reason I said that is

because that is exactly true when you go

to court that blog post is irrelevant so

Adobe was saying that everyone

completely misunderstood the terms and

we the customers just don't get it but

then on June 18th Adobe went and

completely changed their terms and

conditions again they expanded that one

paragraph into a huge section and at the

end added this bit what Adobe does not

do Under This Clause 4.3a we do not have

the right to and will not use your

content to Market or promote Adobe we

will not use these rights to train

generative AI models on your content and

will not use the sulic rights to have

anyone else train generative AI models

on your content except at your specific

request so this new text is extremely

clear but why did it take public outrage

for them to write that text in the first

place what was the original text for why

would did the original text give them

that license to do whatever they want

was it a genuine oversight or did Adobe

try to [ __ ] their customers on purpose

but then when people actually read the

thing and said you know what no thank

you a lot of people cancel their

subscriptions and then Adobe was forced

to do an emergency 180 degree turn

realizing they're not going to get away

with it well I wasn't sure if it was an

oversight or this intentional thing

until

I saw how Adobe went about explaining

these new terms hi everyone my name is

Jessica I'm a lawyer from adobe's legal

team I've been helping to clarify

adobe's terms of use with input from

members of our community to make sure

the language is easy to understand we

know sometimes legal language only makes

sense to lawyers so I want to take a few

minutes now to walk you through what has

changed in this new update oh thank [ __ ]

we have a lawyer from Adobe explaining

complicated lawyer things to us Doom

with who can't read how patronizing can

you get a few things haven't changed at

all now we just say them even more

clearly oh yeah by more clearly do you

mean that you wrote the exact [ __ ]

opposite of what you wrote 2 weeks ago

after this whole thing exploded in your

face I mean just look at this video I

can't even explain precisely what it is

but is it just me or have you ever seen

a person who sounds this disingenuous

this is like a 11 out of 10 disingenuous

every single word coming out of a mouth

sounded like a forced lie through the

teeth so to train their AI Adobe only

uses stock photos and stock video on

their stock website plus other content

that is either free of copyright or that

they licensed elsewhere now I am sure

that all the people who have submitted

their photos to Adobe stock over the

many many years are really happy about

the fact that adobe has now decided is

fair game to steal that content so that

they can train their a models to

eventually replace the content and not

have to pay the professional

photographers royalties because they can

now generate those same images that

they're selling for free using their AI

tool did Adobe pay extra to the content

creators for this no they did not did

the creators knowingly consent to this

no they did not this of course is in no

way fine nor ethical and if you uploaded

photos to Adobe stock say 10 years ago

when it first launched way before anyone

talked about AI or generative models or

whatever because you were a budding

photographer you were starting out you

were trying to make a few dollars in

royalties from people licensing your

photos I have a funny feeling that when

you signed up approximately 100% of the

people who did it who uploaded their

photos did not knowingly consent to

their content also being used to train

adobe's AI to replace their content in

their Twitter post Adobe said today we

announced an update to our general terms

of use for creative of cloud and

document Cloud customers that makes the

language easier to understand including

how we handle your content I am really

sorry Adobe but [ __ ] you for gaslighting

customers and pretending that your

customers are dumb when you delete

entire sections of your terms and

conditions and then replace them with

the exact opposite of what those things

said that is not making the language

easier to understand it is being found

out and having to backtrack with your

tail between your legs because your

customers called you out for your

[ __ ] and here is the thing the new

terms are really clear they could not be

more clear on what Adobe will not do

with your content I mean they did

eventually get there great but what

happens when the next opportunity to

[ __ ] their customers turns up today is

generative AI tomorrow it's something

different Adobe has shown that they as a

company give absolutely zero [ __ ] about

their customers they wanted to steal the

customers data

to add to the data set on which they

will then go and train their AI models

and then when this whole thing went

absolutely bananas now to cancel those

plans when they were found out they

already use Adobe stock photus to train

their AI without those customers

expressly wanting that because when they

were uploading the photos AI wasn't a

thing and that will ultimately mean that

people contributing the stock image

images to that portfolio will eventually

be replaced Direct ly or indirectly by

the AI that adobe is training on that

data a few days ago the US government

sued Adobe because it is extremely

difficult to cancel a subscription and

most customers are not even aware that

they are actually signing up to an

annual deal because it's hidden in the

small print it's not obvious it's always

advertised as a monthly subscription not

as an annual package I think if you

click around enough as a personal user

there is a way there was a way to find

out how to cancel it but if you have a

business license like me you know what

there is no way at all to cancel your

business license online nothing it

doesn't exist the chat they just hang up

on you the moment you mention it and

they don't answer I know because it

happened to me twice there are 100 ways

to buy a license online buttons

everywhere buy more licenses come on

spend more money but there is not a

single button anywhere in your account

to count

your only option is to call them I

managed to get through to a human on my

fourth attempt and then of course they

give you the whole spiel about maybe you

want to stay you know it's pretty good

software maybe you can do a deal it's an

absolutely abysmal disgusting practice

and the reason that this is how Adobe

does it is because it is the opposite of

being transparent which is what they say

they are it is the opposite of giving a

[ __ ] about your customers it is dirty it

is disgusting it is just trying to

prevent people from leaving if Adobe

really cared about their customers why

is there not the same level of ease with

canceling your subscription as there was

with signing up for it in the first

place why do you have to phone someone

to speak to them why why is there a

minimum 12-month term for what is a

monthly subscription the answer is Adobe

are a bunch of greedy Fox that only care

about squeezing more money out of their

customers whatever the cost whatever it

doesn't matter if the customers are

getting screwed 10 years ago you used to

be able to buy Adobe software you could

go and buy a CD stick it in your

computer and you could then use the

software for as long as you want you

owned it now that option doesn't exist

you cannot buy the software you can only

rent it by buying this monthly

subscription fee this is the first video

that I made on my channel without using

any Adobe products I use denture resolve

for video editing it works on Windows

and on Linux where works really great if

actually better but that's probably for

another conversation and I used Affinity

photo instead of Photoshop would really

highly recommend that as well you can

buy both outright relatively cheap no

monthly subscriptions perfect on my

Linux system I used Critter for photos

also very good and you don't give any of

these tools a license to [ __ ] you over

and steal your content in the terms and

conditions a few years ago content

creators did not really have a choice

Adobe products were so far ahead of any

competition that if you were a

professional if you were making content

you just had to pay Adobe now the game

has moved it has changed maybe there is

a

0.1% Slither of adobe customers who are

so extremely specific in their workflows

who are so Advanced you know that they

have to use Adobe sure but for the

99.9% who don't need those extra Furs

all the super ultra complicated things

people people like me you don't have to

pay the Adobe Ransom I think it's

patently clear that if there is any

opportunity tomorrow for Adobe to make

some extra money by screwing their

customers in a new way that hasn't been

thought up of yet Adobe will not miss

that opportunity there are lots of great

tools out there go and try them out use

whichever one it is that you prefer and

thank me later when you buy yourself a

few bottles of wine every month instead

of paying that monthly subscription