Josef Průša’s tough call

How to reinvent yourself in a market that no longer thinks you’re the coolest of all?

I bet it’s a pretty awful feeling.

When you’ve grown accustomed to everyone admiring you and seeing you as the coolest kid in the class, and then suddenly, he shows up — the even cooler version of you.

And — just like that — you’re sidelined…

Okay, maybe not entirely. You’re still visible, people still listen to you, but it’s not the same.

You’re not alone anymore. Now, there’s him too. And he looks better.

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From the very beginning, Josef Průša was the coolest guy on the entire RepRap scene. Sure, he had a gigantic competitor in Bre Pettis, but Pettis quickly revealed himself to be a 3DP industry plant, and disappeared from the scene.

While Pettis shot for the stars and came crashing down in flames, Průša just kept doing his thing. And people began to appreciate that.

A pivotal moment in his story — though one fraught with stress — was the end of 2016 and the infamous PayPal story.

Six months earlier, Průša had unveiled the i3 MK2, which won the hearts of amateur 3D printer users worldwide with its excellent and unrivaled combination of high quality, a multitude of useful features, and very low price.

At the end of 2016, sales skyrocketed as a lot of people decided to buy a Průša 3D printer as a Christmas gift.

PayPal found this sudden surge in transactions suspicious and froze Prusa Research’s account “pending investigation.” This was a huge blow to the company, as it blocked them from fulfilling orders.

Josef did the only sensible thing — he publicized the issue! He played the classic victim card (which he was, in fact!) in a battle against the financial giant.

Everyone rallied behind him, which not only generated even more sympathy for the (still) young Czech but also brought him more publicity than ever before.

Many people heard about Prusa Research for the first time in the context of the PayPal scandal.