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When something breaks, who decides what happens next — you, or the company that built it? On this episode of the Resource Recycling Podcast, Uriah Kiser talks with Matt Zieminski, Vice President of Partnerships at iFixit, about why that question now sits at the center of circular electronics, e-scrap, and right-to-repair policy.
Zieminski also serves on the board of the Repair Association, sits on the eScrap Steering Committee, and co-chairs the Service Parts and Warranty Committee for the Reverse Logistics Association. He has testified before the U.S. Copyright Office and multiple state legislatures, and co-presented with iFixit CEO Kyle Wiens at Teardown 2025 on “Repair is Hardware: Building a Future We Can Fix.” His argument is blunt: the owner, not the manufacturer, should decide whether to repair, refurbish, or replace.
That choice is constrained because chips and software now sit inside almost everything — phones, tractors, vacuums, even a $500 AI-enabled Dyson toothbrush. Manufacturers treat post-sale control as proprietary rights. Zieminski calls it a marketing strategy. Under current law, he says, they do not get to own the product after the sale. The practical result is thinner independent repair networks, long drives to authorized service, and devices held together with glue instead of screws.
Repairability, in his framing, is three things at once: can you open it, do you have documentation that works offline as well as on YouTube, and can you buy a replacement part that actually lasts? Independent repair generally does not void a manufacturer’s warranty under the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act. Extended plans such as AppleCare are a separate contract.
Zieminski is slated to be at E-Scrap: The Longevity Conference, October 26–28 in New Orleans. Kyle Wiens is up for Resource Recycling’s Electronic Circular Innovation Award.
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Read more at Resource Recycling
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E-Scrap: The Longevity Conference → https://e-scrapconference.com/
iFixit → https://www.ifixit.com/
The Repair Association → https://www.repair.org/
Teardown 2025: Repair is Hardware → https://crowdsupply.com/teardown/portland-2025/long-talk/repair-is-hardware-building-a-future-we-can-fix
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