Embracing the Opposition
Making a place for the voice of haters.
The launch of New Story’s 3D printer was a huge hit. The first of its kind, this autonomous, concrete-laying machine will be capable of printing an entire home in 12–14 hours. This tool will allow man and machine to build together and optimize for speed, efficiency, and quality.
It is magnificent.
On the day it launched, articles were published in Fast Company, the Verge, Architectural Digest, and WIRED to name a few. We broke 1 million views on Youtube and walked hundreds for people through the physical structure in Austin, TX.
Less than a year ago, this was nothing more than a dream. It was just a crazy idea. Now it’s a reality. As we look towards the end of 2018, we’ll be building the first 3D printed home for the developing world, in El Salvador.
This innovation has been met with encouragement, respect, and an outpouring of support. There were however, a few who felt the need to speak out against this technology. With little to no context or perspective, they took the time to nitpick and criticize. While these haters comprise a fraction of the feedback we’ve received, it can be hard to stomach when our team, as well as the team at Icon, leveraged so much to make this happen.
Haters mean you’re onto something worth while.
While my younger self may have been frustrated or felt the need to engage the disapproving comments, I’ve come to realize one thing: haters mean you’re onto something worth while. To speak out, even in opposition, means it presses a button. Since we’re constantly inundated with information, for anyone to take the time to engage, write a comment, or craft a reply means it has peaked their interest in some form.
While it may still require a thick skin, I’m reminded that the opposite of love is not hate…it’s indifference. To aspire to a product without objections may very well have lost us those who express their overwhelming support.
The opposite of love is not hate…it’s indifference.
So, what do we do about the haters? Nothing. Their presence checks one of the boxes of innovation, nothing more. The product isn’t for them. It is for the 1.3 billion around the world who live in survival mode. Unreached by conventional methods, billions struggle every day without life’s most basic needs.
It’s the voices of those 1.3 billion that drive us and who we proud to serve.
