From Teal Fellow to Tech Giant: Dylan Field’s Journey with Figma

"If this is the future of design, I'm changing careers." That’s what one early reviewer said about Figma—a real-time, collaborative design tool that Dylan Field, then just 19, dropped out of Brown University to build.

In a deeply personal interview on How I Built This with Guy Raz, Field recounts the improbable journey from student to CEO, chronicling Figma’s rocky early days, product pivots, and its near-acquisition by Adobe.

Twelve years later, that radical idea has reshaped how the world designs everything—from Netflix interfaces to Zoom screens. Here’s how Dylan Field, with no business experience, built Figma into one of the most influential design platforms in the world.

The Unlikely Beginning: Child Actor Turned Math Whiz

Growing up in Sonoma County, California, Dylan wasn’t your typical tech founder-in-the-making. He was a child actor, landing roles in community theater and even appearing in a Windows XP commercial. But around middle school, he traded the stage for equations, mentored by a janitor-turned-math savant.

This blend of creative curiosity and analytical rigor would become foundational to Figma’s DNA.

Brown University, Internships, and a Chance Encounter

While studying computer science at Brown, Dylan interned at LinkedIn where he impressed then-CEO Jeff Weiner so much that Weiner told him: “If you ever start something, call me.” Dylan did, and Weiner became one of Figma’s first investors.

At Brown, Dylan also met Evan Wallace—his TA and coding genius—who would later become Figma’s co-founder. They bonded over a shared belief: design collaboration was broken.

A $100K Bet on a Kid With No Product

In 2012, Dylan won a Thiel Fellowship, dropped out of college, and with Evan, began exploring ways to democratize design. They toyed with meme generators and face-swapping tools before landing on something much bigger: What if design worked like Google Docs?

It was a radical idea in a world dominated by desktop-based tools and email threads.

Four Years of Building, No Product to Show

Despite raising nearly $4 million in early funding, Figma took four years to launch. Why? Because building a high-performance, browser-based design tool from scratch was technically grueling. Even Dylan admits: “I don’t know if I would’ve invested in myself back then.”

Tensions flared. Dylan, just 21 and leading a team older than him, micromanaged decisions. The breaking point came in 2015 when his entire team confronted him about his leadership.

He listened.

He stepped back.

And with the help of new technical leadership, they finally launched a closed beta that—while controversial—sparked interest.

The Tipping Point: Microsoft and the Power of Pricing

Microsoft designers loved Figma. But their leadership refused to greenlight a free tool with an uncertain future. That was the wake-up call Dylan needed: “You’ve got to be more commercial,” one board member told him.

Figma began charging—and adoption soared.

By 2020, the platform had exploded in popularity, especially as remote work made real-time collaboration essential. Teams weren't just designing—they were hanging out in Figma, sketching ideas, whiteboarding strategies, even chatting during Slack outages.

The $20 Billion Deal That Didn't Happen

In 2022, Adobe offered to acquire Figma for $20 billion. The deal would've cemented Dylan’s place in tech history—but regulators said no. Despite the setback, Dylan says the company emerged stronger, more focused, and ready to keep building.

Figma now powers design at companies like Uber, Notion, and Microsoft. Its platform is used not just for UI, but for brainstorming, prototyping, and even creative play.

Dylan’s Real Legacy: Redefining What a Founder Looks Like

Dylan wasn’t a wunderkind CEO with a playbook. He was a curious, awkward, ultra-observant learner. He micromanaged, made mistakes, and almost lost his team—but he adapted.

He stayed humble.

And he never lost sight of the core idea: design should be collaborative, accessible, and powerful.

Key Takeaways for Founders:

• Bet on big shifts. Figma rode the wave of WebGL and the browser as a platform.
• Ship before you’re ready. The perfect product is the enemy of traction.
• Hire people smarter than you—and let them lead.
• Turn feedback into fuel. Dylan’s biggest growth came from tough conversations.
• Don’t underestimate fun. Figma’s multiplayer canvas wasn’t just useful—it was joyful.