What Were They Thinking? Autodesk Buys Instructables

In a deal that may largely go unnoticed by CAD Insiders, Autodesk’s acquired Instructables (see Aug 1 press release) But this raises significant concerns about independence of online communities.

Instructable now an Autodesk property. So now Autodesk serves ads? Gives advice on how to pickle okra? Is this any way for a software company to behave?

Autodesk as we all know, makes design software, AutoCAD, Revit, Inventor…. The list goes on. Most of it is dedicated to professionals: architects, designers, engineers and the like. However recent initiatives reveal a yearning for the consumer market. Products such as Photofly (a runaway success if only Autodesk would focus on it) can create a 3D model from digital camera photos. Its recently introduced 123D, free software intended for makers/DIYers/inventors, is another example. But as SketchUp seems to have quite a hold on that community, Autodesk needed to provide a little persuasion.

An ordinary company may have just bought some ad space on popular web sites. Instructables is once of them, I think, catering to people who make all sorts of things. But ordinary companies don’t have a billion in the bank*. Autodesk just up and bought the entire Instructables business.

Who cares? Well, maybe all the people who counted on Instructables to get advice will care.

A while ago, someone posted on Instructables the following question “What [CAD] software is best?” Another member recommended TurboCAD. It just so happens that TurboCAD is competitive to AutoCAD LT, an Autodesk product. I wonder how much longer such answers will be tolerated.

I’m sure the official answer (from Autodesk) would proclaim to guarantee independence. Even if there is a Santa Claus and the Instructables does manage to maintain true independence, who will believe it?

Maybe Instructables users can continue to trust how to pickle your okra… Yeah, that’s right. "Pickling Okra" is one of the most popular instructions on the site. So is how to make breakfast nachos, a water balloon launcher, potato print underwear…

What was Autodesk thinking? Technology even of the consumer kind appears to be included as an afterthought on the Instructables site. The lone CAD question I found was way old, and it wasn’t getting a lot of attention. Subjects listed are Food, Living, Art, Beauty, Cake Decorating….In other words: not a whole lot of stuff Autodesk software can help with. Or is Autodesk is about to create AutoCAKE?

It's probably best for my sanity to not second guess how other companies spend their money. The amount of money that changed hands in the acquisition (no one is saying how much) may have been a lot for the founders of Instructables, but Autodesk does not even consider it worth reporting. It may have been a whim.

A more sensible approach would have been to buy up a good portion of the ad space from Instructables. At least Instructables could still have insisted they were like every other ad-supported media site with a church/state separation between editorial and advertising

 

Comments

[Roopinder Tara]

Scott: IMHO Photofly has the potential to be such a big hit that Autodesk should spin it off as a separate company. As one of a hundred products in a big company, it must be hard for it to get the attention -- and the funding - it deserves.

[Bill Buxton]

Don't you sell software while at the same time being a journalist? Isn't that a comparable conflict of interest?
Would you write a negative article about a product that you sell?

So if you do not feel that is a problem why should Autodesk?

[Scott Sheppard]

With regard to Project Photofly, I am curious as to what you mean by "if Autodesk would focus on it." We have a team of developers working on this - being guided by feedback from the technology preview.

[j_l]

amen, you said it perfectly

[John Evans]

While leaving the Instructales team members in place, they can continue to maintain the site, and the various odd things that go on there.
Having the platform gives them a great way to impliment 123D, Photofly, etc., and inevitably their LT platforms.
I think this is an area that will sit for awile until they inevitably merge it into this grand scheme they have. I've learned over the last 2 years that someone has a decent plan over there, even when it doesn't seem like it.