The original call
Original year: 2011 & 2015
2026 assessment
Scorecard verdict: Largely right
Mostly a hit, with a caveat. Additive manufacturing is now genuinely mainstream for prototyping, tooling, aerospace and medical parts, and it’s a multi-billion-dollar industry. Where I was early rather than wrong: the idea that everyone would own a printer and that additive would displace mass production hasn’t arrived. It’s a powerful tool in the box, not the whole factory. Call it a strong B+.