November 21, 2019

The Next Chapter of Carbon: A Message From Joe

When I founded Carbon in 2013, I never would have thought that in only six years we would become the most valuable 3D printing company in the world. That is a testament to all of you—our employees, our customers, our partners—your hard work and dedication are how we have come so far. The Carbon Digital Manufacturing Platform is now literally changing people’s lives—enabling companies to craft products that the world truly needs, at scale, finally fulfilling the promise of 3D printing.

We have grown rapidly in a short time. And as we position ourselves for continued success long into the future, it has been imperative to be thoughtful at every step of the way. That is why over the past 12-18 months I have been strengthening the leadership bench at Carbon, hiring some of the world’s best people to help shape our future. As I began to plan for 2020, I had an important realization—I knew it was time for me to take another important step—one I’ve seen taken by founders at other great companies like Intuit, Google, and Palo Alto Networks. So, today, I am assuming the Executive Chairman role at Carbon, which will allow me to focus on what I do best to bring the most long-term value to our company. Ellen Kullman, the former Chairman and CEO of DuPont and Carbon board member, is joining Carbon as President and CEO to lead the company.

I have no doubt Ellen Kullman is the right person to lead Carbon into the future; we couldn’t have found a better President and CEO! I am enormously proud of what we’ve accomplished during my tenure, and I know what we will accomplish under Ellen will be even more extraordinary. With broad experience across multiple businesses, cycles, and geographies and a distinguished track record of success, Ellen’s vision and outstanding leadership traits are what Carbon needs now to define and chart our long-term success.

As President and CEO, Ellen will lead the development and execution of short- and long-term strategies, positioning Carbon to continue delivering value to our employees, customers, partners, and shareholders around the world. As Executive Chairman, I will focus on growing mainstream adoption of the Carbon Digital Manufacturing Platform and evangelizing our vision to existing and prospective customers, partners, and the public.

Ellen and I have worked exceptionally closely together for a few years—and we anticipate working together for a long time to come. As friends, we have a lot in common, most important of all is a profound belief in the potential for digital manufacturing platforms to transform the world for the better. We love Carbon—our people, our platform, and our purpose to improve lives and protect our planet with science, technology, and creativity. I am confident that this leadership transition will serve Carbon, our customers, and our partners extremely well in the future.

We look forward to embarking on this exciting new chapter with you. You make everything we do at Carbon possible. Thank you!

Sincerely,
Dr. Joseph DeSimone
Executive Chairman and Co-Founder of Carbon