Core Insights - Figma and Autodesk are both design software providers but operate in different markets, with Figma focusing on collaborative digital product design and Autodesk on engineering and industrial design software [1] - Both companies are integrating AI into their platforms to enhance value creation, with Figma aiming to boost creative productivity and user adoption, while Autodesk focuses on engineering optimization and risk reduction [1] Figma Overview - Figma is heavily investing in AI features to enhance its product suite, including the integration of Gemini 3 Pro and Nano Banana Pro for AI image generation and editing [3] - The collaboration with OpenAI allows users to generate FigJam diagrams from ChatGPT conversations, enhancing user experience [4] - Figma's acquisition of Weavy enables users to access leading AI models and editing tools on a single platform, making it competitive in the image editing market [5] - As of September 30, 2025, Figma had 12,910 paid customers with over $10,000 in annual recurring revenues (ARR) and 1,262 customers with over $100,000 in ARR, achieving a net dollar retention rate of 131% for high-spending customers [6] - Despite growth, Figma's non-GAAP operating profit decreased by 28.9% year-over-year to $34.02 million, with the operating profit margin dropping from 24% to 12% due to cost pressures from new AI features [7] Autodesk Overview - Autodesk leverages decades of proprietary data to train its AI models, integrating generative design and predictive analytics to enhance productivity [9] - The company reports significant adoption of AI tools across its platforms, with over 2.6 million constraints delivered by its AI-based Sketch AutoConstrain feature [10] - Autodesk is positioned to benefit from AI monetization and subscription revenues, although it faces high costs related to cloud infrastructure and talent acquisition [11] - Research and development costs remain high as Autodesk seeks to maintain its competitive edge, alongside increasing sales and marketing expenditures [12] - Autodesk's fiscal 2026 earnings are projected to grow by 20.5% year-over-year, with recent estimates revised upward [13] Comparative Analysis - In the last three months, Figma shares have declined by 25.7%, while Autodesk shares have decreased by 5.4% [14] - Autodesk's larger scale and market capitalization provide it with a better position to absorb cost pressures and monetize investments, making it a comparatively safer investment during the current AI growth phase [15] - Figma trades at a forward 12-month price-to-sales (P/S) multiple of 12.51X, which is higher than Autodesk's 8.12X [16]