When Figma filed to go public, it sent ripples through the design and business worlds. For many UX professionals, Figma has been the tool that democratized design—breaking down silos, removing friction between disciplines, and making collaboration feel less like a handoff and more like a jam session.
But now, as it steps into the high-stakes world of Wall Street, we need to ask:
Is going public good for UX—or will it slowly compromise the very values that made Figma great?
The Good News: Visibility, Validation, and Velocity
1. UX Is in the Spotlight
Figma’s IPO is more than a financial milestone—it’s a cultural signal: UX matters. When a design platform hits the public markets, it validates what we’ve known all along—that design isn’t just about aesthetics, it’s about impact, collaboration, and value creation.
2. More Investment, More Innovation
With added capital, Figma can double down on AI features, speed, infrastructure, and integration with other tools in the product development ecosystem. Think of smarter workflows, real-time analytics, or deeper accessibility tools.
3. Recruitment and Retention for UX Orgs
Companies now recognize that design tools like Figma aren’t “nice to have.” They’re critical infrastructure. This legitimizes the UX profession and encourages companies to hire, grow, and invest in UX maturity.
The Risks: Pressure, Priorities, and Platform Bloat
1. Revenue > Creativity?
Public companies have to grow fast—and that means monetization pressures. Will Figma be forced to build features for enterprise checklists instead of creative exploration? Will the platform favor procurement decision-makers over designers?
2. Feature Bloat and Fragmentation
Platforms often overbuild to hit growth metrics. If Figma starts catering to too many personas at once—PMs, marketers, execs—it could dilute what makes the tool great for designers: its simplicity and clarity.
3. Lock-in, Not Openness
As a public company, there’s a risk of closed ecosystems, aggressive upselling, or tiered paywalls that create distance between junior designers, educators and access to professional-grade tools.
🧠 So, What Should the UX Community Do?
We don’t need to panic—but we do need to stay engaged.
- Hold Figma accountable to its roots. Advocate for user-first decision-making.
- Push for accessibility and Openness in their roadmap, even as they scale.
- Remember that no tool defines UX. Tools should support processes, not replace them.
Figma going public is a milestone—but it’s up to the design community to keep it meaningful.
TL;DR:
Figma’s IPO is a win for UX visibility—but a risk to UX integrity.
If it stays grounded in the needs of real users, we all win. If not, it becomes just another enterprise product.
Let’s make sure the future of design tools stays as user-centered as the work we create with them.