Jon Hirschtick founded Solidworks in 1993, and Onshape in 2011. Onshape is a cloud-based CAD system that supports features like multiple people working on a design in real-time, PDM, etc.
Below are several discussions with Jon. In both of these discussions, there is an emphasis on files being “dead.” Files are hard (for the average person) to manage, share, secure, etc. Jon claims the younger generation does not even know what a file is – their paradigm is Chromebooks (from school), Phones, iPads, etc.
This is an interesting question … are files dead? The premise of GitPLM is that files are the future. Even to the point that we abandon databases when possible and use simple CSV files. I think one variable people are not thinking about too much is the power of AI and how well it works with simple file formats. Simplicity scales. There is also the question of distributed development and integration. Integrated/centralized tools are no doubt very capable and powerful, but this comes with a loss of openness and flexibility. Onshape is no doubt excellent for purely mechanical workflows, but what about products that require mechanical, hardware, and software?
These are interesting discussions, and there is always something to learn from successful people like Jon.
Interview on the “Being an Engineer” podcast
Ditch the Files: Rethinking PDM for Speed and Security
An interesting twist in this talk is security.