D ylan Field is an American technology entrepreneur and the co-founder and CEO of Figma, a collaborative web-based design tool that has become an essential platform for designers and product teams around the world. A computer science prodigy, Field was a Thiel Fellow, a program that encourages young entrepreneurs to drop out of college to start a company. He took the grant and founded Figma in 2012 with his Brown University classmate, Evan Wallace.
Figma was a pioneer in creating a design tool that operated entirely in the cloud, allowing multiple users to collaborate on the same design file in real-time, similar to Google Docs. This was a revolutionary concept that disrupted the market dominated by Adobe's desktop-based software. As CEO, Field has led the company's explosive growth, turning it into one of the most beloved and valuable private software companies in Silicon Valley. In 2022, Adobe announced a massive $20 billion deal to acquire Figma, though the deal was later terminated due to regulatory pressure.
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Dylan Field is an American entrepreneur, the self-made billionaire co-founder and CEO of Figma, the groundbreaking web-based collaborative design platform. Born in Penngrove, California, in 1992, he developed an early passion for design and technology. He attended Brown University, studying computer science, where he met his co-founder, Evan Wallace.
His career path was dramatically accelerated in 2012 when he successfully secured a Thiel Fellowship—a $100,000 grant from Peter Thiel to drop out of college and pursue entrepreneurship full-time. Field accepted the grant and left Brown, a bold decision that launched his venture into the design software industry, driven by his obsession with creative tools, data, and cognition.
Dylan Field and Evan Wallace co-founded Figma in 2012. Their strategic vision was audacious: create a cloud-native design tool built from the ground up for real-time collaboration (like Google Docs for designers), running entirely in the browser. They spent four years meticulously building the platform before launching publicly in 2016.
Figma achieved explosive, viral growth, quickly becoming the indispensable tool for modern product teams globally. Field was named to Forbes 30 Under 30 in 2015. In 2023, a proposed $20 billion acquisition by Adobe fell through due to major antitrust concerns, a defining event that proved Figma's market dominance. Field then successfully led the company to a massive IPO in 2025, which saw the stock triple on debut, valuing the company at nearly $20 billion. His current focus is on integrating AI into the design platform, viewing design, craft, and quality as the new moat for startups.
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Drops out of Brown University after earning a Thiel Fellowship (Pivotal Event).
Co-founds Figma with Evan Wallace (Founding).
Named to Fortune's 40 Under 40 (Industry Recognition).
Proposed $20 billion acquisition by Adobe falls through due to antitrust concerns (Corporate Crisis/Validation).
Leads Figma's successful IPO, with the stock tripling on debut (Financial Milestone).
Continues as CEO, focusing on AI integration and the platform's core product lines (Executive Leadership).
Dylan Field's wealth is concentrated in his founding equity and continued executive leadership of the publicly traded design software giant, Figma (NASDAQ: FIG).
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Dylan Field's social impact is structural, stemming from Figma's role in revolutionizing digital design and collaboration. The platform has democratized access to professional design tools and is foundational to the modern digital economy, particularly the Creator Economy.
His career, rising from a Thiel Fellow dropout to a major tech CEO, is a testament to the profitability of bold vision and execution. His commitment to craft, quality, and time to value guides his product philosophy.
Dylan Field maintains the youthful, entrepreneurial style of a modern tech CEO. His attire is consistently practical and high-quality, favoring smart casual wear. His aesthetic is one of confident authority, reflecting his engineering background and his commitment to the collaborative design process.
Residing in the Bay Area, his luxury is the immense security and autonomy derived from his multi-billion dollar fortune. His life is dedicated to his founding company and his mission to maintain a platform that makes design and collaboration accessible globally.
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“AI is making design, craft, and quality the new moat for startups.”
“We spent four years building Figma before launching publicly in 2016.”
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-0.14% | -$19.01M
+11% | +$137.00M
This profile is compiled from verified biographical and financial records:
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