Ping Fu, author of "Bend, Not Break," founder and CEO of Geomagic, and incoming chief strategy officer at 3D Systems (DDD 15.48%), tells of her journey from being a penniless newcomer to the United States, to an incredibly successful CEO.
The transcript below is lightly edited.
Brendan: So 3D Systems and Avi Reichental, you mentioned him earlier, he said he thinks 3-D printing could be as big as the steam engine in its day, as big as the Internet... do you agree? What do you think it will be like working with him and his leadership style?
Ping: Avi and I certainly share the same vision and passion and I like that his vision is completely aligned with what I see as the next big thing. And I do agree that this is the next big thing. And more than the next big thing, I think this is going to change our lives. This is something that we humans have been doing for thousands of years. We produce products and that starts with the person.
The Industrial Revolution changed that and now we've become one size fits all. With Internet technology combined with manufacturing design, we can create the future that is as efficient as mass production and as personable as mass customization. But it also that you don't have to ship stuff across the seas. It's less carbon footprint... with great technology that's been in place for 30 years it's not a speculation, it's a movement.
"Bend, Not Break" website
Ping Fu on Twitter
"Bend, Not Break" on Amazon