Bre Pettis ’95

A recent article in Papermag credits wild-idea guy Bre Pettis ’95 with expanding the notion of DIY into new realms.  Well sure, his “Makerbot” company – creating affordable 3-D printers – is a mind-blowing incursion into the manufacturing and retail world, creating a whole new niche: “personal manufacturing.”  But we think this Greener has done more than that.  We think he has potentially upended the way we think about, and put a value on, objects. Even shying away from the large, philosophical issues, this could become angst-producing. If you can 3-D print a pair of shoes the spittin’ image of Manolo’s, how do we think about the $735 price tag on these little beauties?

Shoppers beware, existential crisis ahead!