Major Layoff at MakerBot

MakerBot Has Just Laid off 20% of workforce we are being told by an anonymous source. The layoff which seems to be approximately 100 employees, seems to stem from further integration between parent company Stratasys as they further integrate the MakerBot business within their framework. Jonathan Jaglom was appointed CEO only recently and he seems to have a plan to streamline operations and bring MakerBot closer to Stratasys from an IP and talent point of view. More details on this unfortunate layoff can be found here: http://3dprint.com/59177/makerbot-layoffs/

Stratasys has also devalued the company and closed their retail stores as well. http://www.makerbot.com/blog/2015/04/17/an-anouncement/

It's a sad event, no one ever wants to see people lose their jobs. It's an even sadder event when you consider what MakerBot started as, what they believed in and what they did, to what they've become now. They've become a lesson in what not to do I think...

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Originally Posted by MiniMadRyan

Stratasys has also devalued the company and closed their retail stores as well. http://www.makerbot.com/blog/2015/04/17/an-anouncement/

It's a sad event, no one ever wants to see people lose their jobs. It's an even sadder event when you consider what MakerBot started as, what they believed in and what they did, to what they've become now. They've become a lesson in what not to do I think...

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It's not a sad day. For sure it is hard to change staffing needs. But I have been aware of the companies lacking vision for some time now. There is so much more they could be doing to promote thier products and become an integral part of culture. They need a restructuring. This is no de-valuation of anyone I know who works there . . . but as with any opportunity to grow, you cannot grow unless you prune the damaged parts of the tree / system.

They need to start innovating again, instead of resting so comfortably in the shadow of past innovative times. They also need to lose the red / grey / black dominant theme. I bet they could re-brand the shell of the machines alone and increase sales by 2x!!

I say this because the look of the makerbots is starting to seem dated. I love the machines, they perform better than a lot fo the printers I have worked with. And they should look more modern, not like a garage robot.