It's unclear what exactly Pettis will be in charge of in his new role, but he will remain within Stratasys, the 3D printing company that acquired Makerbot for $403 million last year, the report said.
He will also be a board member of MakerBot, while Jenny Lawton will take over the CEO position.
3D Print initially reported the news yesterday, based on an 'anonymous tip,' but it was made official today after Stratesys CEO David Reis released the following statement (via 3D Print):
"Stratasys and MakerBot are excited to announce some management changes at MakerBot that will take effect in the 3rd and 4th quarter of 2014 and into January 2015. Most notably, Bre Pettis will be transitioning from the day-to-day activities of management to a position with Stratasys where he will be able to influence and direct the vision of MakerBot and Stratasys; he will also be a member of the MakerBot Board of Directors. Jenny Lawton, president of MakerBot, will be promoted to the role of CEO of MakerBot; Frank Alfano is being moved from chief revenue officer to president. Aric Jennings, chief operations officer for MakerBot, will also transition into the international role of vice president of global manufacturing for Stratasys. We are excited about these promotions and pleased to continue the positive momentum that Sratasys and MakerBot have experienced and achieved."
Pettis is one of the co-founders of MakerBot, a leading desktop 3D printing manufacturer. MakerBot was founded in 2009 and has won numerous awards for its groundbreaking technology, including Time Magazine's Best Inventions of 2012.