Adobe, one of the largest US software companies, on Wednesday provided the latest indication of how the economic crisis is rolling through the technology industry as it slashed its revenue projections and announced that it had already “taken steps” to cut its workforce by 8 per cent, or 600 people.

The company, whose software is used widely in the creative industries, has carried greater exposure to a downturn in advertising than many other software companies, and comments from the company on Wednesday suggested this was a big source of its earnings shortfall.