Make Me Smart

“Right to repair” is about more than DIY

07.14.2021 - By MarketplacePlay

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You might not want to crack open your smartphone, but iFixit CEO Kyle Wiens wants you to have the option. His company provides instructions, parts and tools, but there’s a lot more to the “right to repair.” It’s a movement with implications for the environment and the broader economy, and bipartisan support is growing at the state and federal levels. Wiens talks us through it on today’s show. Plus: A listener weighs in with a list of what America does well, and European Union Commissioner Margrethe Vestager answers the Make Me Smart question.

Here’s everything we talked about today:

Wiens’ op-ed in The Washington Post today

“I replaced my iPhone battery myself. Here’s what happened” from CNET

“Tesla’s $16,000 Quote for a $700 Fix Is Why Right to Repair Matters” from the Drive

“President Joe Biden’s latest executive order is a huge win for right to repair” from he Verge

“Apple Is Lobbying Against Your Right to Repair iPhones, New York State Records Confirm” from Vice

“Microsoft played key role in stopping ‘Right to Repair’ in Washington” from U.S. PIRG

The FTC’s report on repair restrictions from earlier this year

A similar analysis from Stanford

“Behind the Lordstown Debacle, the Hand of a Wall Street Dealmaker” from The New York Times

“Google Told to Pay for News With Ultimatum and $593 Million Fine” from Bloomberg

Molly’s interview with Vestager on “Marketplace Tech”

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