In a survey of more than 5,000 respondents, The Athletic found that 47% admitted to illegally streaming football. A significant proportion of those aren’t getting it for free, they’re paying for a service on a “dodgy Fire Stick from Dave’s mate Mick.” When an almost identical product is available at a tenth of the price, that’s not theft. That’s a market telling you about fair pricing.
I think about that a lot when I look at where desktop 3D printing ended up.
In the mid-2010s, Stratasys and 3D Systems had the market, the patents, the brand recognition, and critically, a consumer audience that had already emotionally bought in. What followed was not one company’s failure, it was an industry’s.
3D Systems took to the stage at CES with Will.i.am as “Chief Creative Officer” and the stated ambition of putting a 3D printer not just in every home but in every room. MakerBot, before Stratasys acquired it, had Bre Pettis, a founder with all of Steve Jobs’ ability to market a product and none of the ability to deliver one.
