Dev Uses AI to Clone Adobe Apps as Free Open-Source — SkimNews
Get the Tech newsletter
Daily tech — startups, AI labs, chips, the launches that shape the next decade. Free.
- An unnamed developer used AI to "vibe code" free, open-source clones of Adobe's Photoshop, Premiere, and Lightroom, with Gizmodo and PetaPixel both calling the project a Creative Suite knockoff.
- Ars Technica and Health API Guy framed the achievement in provocative terms — "Software is over" and "The End of The Effort Moat" — positioning the clones as evidence AI can replicate complex commercial software cheaply.
Why it matters: Ars Technica's "Software is over" and Health API Guy's "End of The Effort Moat" framings position the clones as proof AI can replicate paid creative software cheaply. A solo developer shipping free open-source Photoshop, Premiere, and Lightroom alternatives puts direct competitive pressure on Adobe's subscription pricing model.
Ask SkimNews



