The Toilet Announcement

Getting screen pictures to print in the prospectus wasn't easy, either. In fact, nothing about the public offering was easy. However, difficulty shouldn't make one hesitant to break new ground and defy precedents. Dan Drake penned this press release in the midst of the prospectus drafting sessions.

Sausalito, California. May 10, 1985.

In what industry observers described as a radical and daring break with tradition, Autodesk Inc. announced today that the publicity pictures in its prospectus would not feature a picture of a toilet. The decision was announced following an extraordinary meeting of the Board of Directors.

``It's hard to part with an old friend'', gibbered John Walker, president of Autodesk, emerging from the meeting which was held in the company's washroom, ``when our whole success has been based on pictures featuring toilets, from the mini-apartment drawing in PC World to the giant North Sea oil rig poster. However, hard times demand hard choices. We at Autodesk are flushed with pride in our forthcoming public offering, and as we stand with one foot in the simpler world of private companies and the other in our mouth, we hail the dawn of the new day confident that our publicity will continue to bowl over the industry.''