Desktop Metal CEO: What's Next After the Deal to Merge with Stratasys Fails

Oct. 2, 2023

Ric Fulop: "It was a distraction," "We probably are going be worth more than them in the future," "They're three times our revenue, but we're getting 40% of the company, which is what pissed off their investors"

Dennis Scimeca,

Robert Schoenberger

Disruption was the key word in the additive manufacturing world last week as Stratasys shareholders overwhelmingly rejected the company’s planned takeover of rival Desktop Metal.

As a consolation prize, Burlington, Massachusetts-based Desktop Metal will walk away with a $32.5 million breakup fee and the elimination of what Founder and CEO Ric Fulop called a distraction..

A day after the Stratasys/Desktop Metal deal collapsed, Fulop sat down with IndustryWeek editors to discuss where his company goes from here, how Desktop Metal’s approach to the future of additive is different from its peers and what he thinks of a potential merger between Stratasys and 3D Systems.

“When you look back five years from now, you’re going to be very happy with the way that we built this business,” Fulop said

Speaking of more potential mergers, 3D Systems announced Friday that it would give Stratasys another two months to consider its latest buyout offer (the original offer had been set to expire on Oct. 3).

Previous Stratasys-Desktop Metal Coverage
Stratasys Bid to Buy Desktop Metal Fails, Company Seeking ‘Strategic Alternatives’
Stratasys CEO Zeif: Additive Technology's Advances and Long-Term Challenges
Stratasys Again Rejects 3D Systems, Urges Shareholders to Support Desktop Metal Purchase
Stratasys CEO Zeif: How Additive Can Scale for Manufacturing
Stratasys CEO Zeif: Why Now for Additive Manufacturing Mergers
Stratasys Will "Engage in Discussions" on Acquisition by 3D Systems
Stratasys Board Again Turns Away 3D, Nano Offers
Stratasys Stiff-Arms 3D Systems' Bid
3D Systems Offers $1.2 Billion for Stratasys
Understanding the Merger of Stratasys and Desktop Metal
Stratasys to Buy Desktop Metal for $1.8 Billion

About the Author

Dennis Scimeca

Dennis Scimeca is a veteran technology journalist with particular experience in vision system technology, machine learning/artificial intelligence, and augmented/mixed/virtual reality (XR), with bylines in consumer, developer, and B2B outlets.

At IndustryWeek, he covers the competitive advantages gained by manufacturers that deploy proven technologies. If you would like to share your story with IndustryWeek, please contact Dennis at [email protected].

About the Author

Robert Schoenberger

Editor-in-Chief

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/robert-schoenberger-4326b810

Bio: Robert Schoenberger has been writing about manufacturing technology in one form or another since the late 1990s. He began his career in newspapers in South Texas and has worked for The Clarion-Ledger in Jackson, Mississippi; The Courier-Journal in Louisville, Kentucky; and The Plain Dealer in Cleveland where he spent more than six years as the automotive reporter. In 2014, he launched Today's Motor Vehicles (now EV Manufacturing & Design), a magazine focusing on design and manufacturing topics within the automotive and commercial truck worlds. He joined IndustryWeek in late 2021.