Carl Bass

Carl Bass is a former president and chief executive officer of Autodesk, Inc.,[1] a maker of professional 3D design software and consumer applications, and was a co-founder of Ithaca Software,[2] which commercialized HOOPS, a 3D graphics system. Bass has been credited with expanding Autodesk beyond its core AutoCAD software through acquisitions and new product developments[3] and transitioning from 2D to 3D model-based design.[2]

Carl Bass
Former Autodesk CEO Carl Bass
BornMay 18, 1957
New York, New York
Occupation(s)Former CEO and President of Autodesk
SpouseDaryl Austern

Early life and education

Bass was born in New York, New York to a chemist father and school teacher mother. After starting at Cornell University, Bass took a break to build boats, furniture, and sculpture in Seattle and Maine for five years. He returned to Cornell and graduated with Bachelor of Arts in mathematics in 1983.

Career

In 1981, Bass co-founded a computer graphics company called Flying Moose Systems and Graphics Ltd., which became Ithaca Software in 1986. The company commercialized HOOPS, a 3D graphics system originally developed at Cornell University in the mid-1980s. Bass served as Ithaca Software’s chief technology officer and CEO. He joined Autodesk when the company acquired Ithaca Software in 1993, serving as the chief architect for AutoCAD.[2] In 1995, Bass was forced out by Autodesk’s then president and CEO Carol Bartz, only to be rehired five months later, after top Autodesk engineers said they needed Bass’s software development skills.[4]

Bass left Autodesk in 1999 to launch Buzzsaw,[5] an online service for management of construction projects, where he served as president and CEO.[2] Bass returned to Autodesk when it acquired the company in 2001.[5] In addition to being the company's president and CEO from 2006 through 2017, Bass held a number of high-level positions at Autodesk, including executive vice president and chief strategy officer (2001 to 2002); senior executive vice president of the Design Solutions Group (2002 to 2004); chief operating officer (2004 to 2006); and interim chief financial officer (2008 to 2009).[6]

Tenure at Autodesk

In 2006, Carol Bartz stepped down as Autodesk’s president and CEO, naming Bass as her replacement.[7]

During his tenure as CEO, Bass focused on expanding the company beyond its core AutoCAD software through acquisitions and new product development,[3] and transitioning from 2D to 3D design.[2] He emphasized vertical markets focusing on model-based design, simulation, and lifecycle management.[2] Under his direction, Autodesk introduced consumer-oriented products such as SketchBook, a mobile painting and drawing app with more than 7 million users as of Nov. 2011.[8] Bass helped lead the company to develop Building Information Modeling (BIM) and generative design technologies.[9] In March 2008, Autodesk was ranked number 25 on Fast Company's list of "The World's 50 Most Innovative Companies."[10]

Bass serves on the Board of Directors of Autodesk, HP Inc., Zendesk Inc., Planet, VELO3D, Formlabs Inc, Box, and Built Robotics.[1][11] He also serves on the board of trustees of the Smithsonian's Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum, Art Center College of Design, and California College of the Arts, and is a member of the advisory boards of Cornell Computing and Information Science, UC Berkeley School of Information, and UC Berkeley College of Engineering.[1] He currently acts as an advisor to Zoox Inc. and a special advisor to Alphabet CEO Larry Page.[12]

Bass announced that he would be stepping down as Autodesk's CEO effective on February 8, 2017. He remains a board member and special advisor to the company.[13]

Personal life

Bass owns a workshop near his home in Berkeley, Calif.,[4] where he designs and fabricates objects made from wood, metal and stone. Bass’ projects have included furniture, sculpture and a walk-in wooden rocket ship he built for his children,[14] which is on permanent display at Chabot Science Center.

References
  1. "Carl Bass". News Room. Autodesk. Archived from the original on 18 May 2012. Retrieved 20 April 2012.
  2. "Carl Bass". Executive Profile. Bloomberg Businessweek. Archived from the original on April 10, 2011. Retrieved 20 April 2012.
  3. "The Carl Bass interview". Interviews. Develop3D. Retrieved 20 April 2012.
  4. Flinn, Ryan. "Autodesk's Bass Applies Woodshop Lessons to His Design-Software Business". News. Bloomberg. Retrieved 20 April 2012.
  5. Menezes, Deelip. "A Conversation With Carl Bass - Part 2". Deelip.com. Deelip.com. Retrieved 20 April 2012.
  6. "Carl Bass". Technology. Forbes. Archived from the original on 1 May 2012. Retrieved 20 April 2012.
  7. Lee, Ellen (18 January 2006). "Carol Bartz stepping down as Autodesk CEO, president". Business. San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved 3 May 2012.
  8. Temple, James (27 November 2011). "Autodesk CEO Carl Bass talks about 3-D and more". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved 20 April 2012.
  9. Roopinder Tara, Carl Bass Brings Autodesk Into Its Golden Age. Engineering.com. https://www.engineering.com/DesignSoftware/DesignSoftwareArticles/ArticleID/11247/Carl-Bass-Brings-Autodesk-Into-Its-Golden-Age.aspx?e_src=relart
  10. "The World's Most Innovative Companies". Fast Company. Archived from the original on 5 May 2012. Retrieved 20 April 2012.
  11. "Box Announces Appointment of Carl Bass, Former President and CEO of Autodesk, to Its Board of Directors". Business (Press release). Box.com. 27 May 2020. Retrieved 1 June 2020.
  12. Loizos, Connie (10 February 2017). "Carl Bass on his surprising Autodesk exit — and what's next". TechCrunch. Retrieved 13 March 2017.
  13. "Autodesk CEO Carl Bass To Resign; Reiterates Non-GAAP Business Outlook". NASDAQ.com. 7 February 2017. Retrieved 7 February 2017.
  14. Anders, George. "Cutting-Edge Executives". The Wealth Report. The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 21 April 2012.
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