Figma’s IPO: The Web-Based Design Juggernaut Goes Public—What’s Next?

Figma’s IPO: The Web-Based Design Juggernaut Goes Public—What’s Next?

  1. News
  2. 2025-07-31 20:00
  3. 2 min read

Figma just rang the NYSE bell—and the design world is losing its mind.
Is this the triumph of web-based collaboration, or the beginning of the end?

“Looks like a pivot from devs to normies.”
—HN commenter side-eyeing Figma’s CLI-less homepage

But let’s be real: Figma won because it bet on the web when Sketch doubled down on Mac. Now, with a $33/share IPO, the question isn’t if things will change—it’s how fast.

🚀 How Figma Ate the Design World

The winning formula:

  • Web-first, no-install chaos: Share a link, not a .sketch file.
  • Viral licensing: Edit a file? Congrats, you’re now a “seat.”
  • Plugins & sandboxes: WebAssembly speed + QuickJS security.

Meanwhile, Sketch was busy:

  • Mac-only.
  • No real-time collab.
  • “Just download this 500MB app to view my mockup.”

🔥 The HN Debate: IPO or RIP-O?

1. “This is peak enshittification”

  • “Charging for variables? Really?”
  • “Wait for the ‘Enterprise Figma AI’ tier.”
  • Prediction: 180 days post-IPO, stock tanks.

2. “Nah, Figma’s untouchable”

  • Network effects > everything.
  • “Adobe XD couldn’t kill it. AI won’t either.”
  • Reality check: 70% of the world doesn’t use Macs.

3. The AI Wildcard

  • Figma’s move: Bake AI into the design pipeline.
  • Devs sweating: “If Figma spits React code, do we even need engineers?”
  • Skeptics: “Adobe tried this with Dreamweaver. Look how that turned out.”

💼 Who’s Cashing Out?

  • Employees: Locked up for 6 months (then 💸).
  • VCs: Printing money since 2012.
  • Users: Bracing for “growth-focused” pricing.

🛠️ The Alternatives (Because Open Source Never Dies)

  • Penpot: “Figma, but OSS”—lacks polish.
  • Lunacy: Shockingly good for a stock-photo side project.
  • Inkscape/Krita: For masochists who love .svg battles.

🎤 Final Take

Figma’s IPO isn’t an endpoint—it’s a stress test.

  • Win: Stay collaborative, open, and fast.
  • Lose: Pull an Adobe, squeeze users, and watch AI eat your lunch.

“The best design tool is the one everyone already uses.”
—Someone who’s tired of arguing about Figma vs. Sketch

💬 Drop your take: Buying shares, shorting, or sticking to Penpot?

— Stefan Bogdan
Design Tool Skeptic | Recovering Sketch Addict

🔗 Further Reading

Figma IPO Design Tools Web Apps Adobe Collaboration