logo
episode-header-image
Feb 2025
8m 32s

Why don’t companies want you to repair y...

TED
About this episode

Today, some companies are working hard to prevent consumers from repairing products on their own. In many cases, repair can only be done by the original manufacturer, if at all. With limited repair options available, we end up buying new and throwing more items out. So, how exactly do companies prevent repair? And what can consumers do about it? Aaron Perzanowski investigates. [Directed by Nick Hilditch, narrated by Addison Anderson].


After the talk, Modupe focuses on the term "planned obsolete" and why you should advocate for more transparent repair options.



Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Up next
Oct 5
Who controls your city's money? | Trinity Tran
What if your city could borrow money from its own bank instead of private lenders? TED Fellow Trinity Tran is leading the push for public banks — which are owned by the people through their local governments — and shows how this model could ensure your local tax dollars stay in y ... Show More
36m 55s
Sep 28
Why countries should measure dreams and ambitions (just like GDP) | Lance Katigbak
What do you want to be when you grow up? It's a universal question — and yet at some point, people stop asking you. Drawing on a nationwide survey across the Philippines, consumer researcher Lance Katigbak makes the case that countries should keep track of their citizens' ambitio ... Show More
13m 7s
Sep 25
Growing Your Career: How to ask for more — and get it | Alex Carter
How do you get what you want out of a negotiation? United Nations negotiation trainer Alex Carter says the best methods center on recruitment, not rivalry. Whether you're asking for a raise or resolving a family dispute, she offers five simple tips for a successful discussion — s ... Show More
18m 5s
Recommended Episodes
Apr 2023
Do You Have the Right to Repair Your Products?
From iPhones and tractors to medical equipment, many products are designed to be unfixable by the average person. Host Roy Wood Jr. sits down with Youtuber and owner of the Rossmann Repair Group, Louis Rossmann, and Law Professor at the University of Michigan, Aaron Perzanowski t ... Show More
52m 38s
Jun 2023
Do You Have the Right to Repair Your Products? | Beyond the Scenes
From iPhones and tractors to medical equipment, many products are designed to be unfixable by the average person. Host Roy Wood Jr. sits down with YouTuber and owner of the Rossmann Repair Group, Louis Rossmann, and Law Professor at the University of Michigan, Aaron Perzanowski t ... Show More
57m 19s
Jun 2023
The 'right to repair' movement
With the cost of living crisis forcing many of us to try and limit what we spend, more and more people are looking to repair the things they own. It’s giving momentum to an international network of ‘repair cafes’ and a global campaign for manufacturers to make products fixable.In ... Show More
18m 43s
Oct 2021
If You Don't Know, Now You Know - Right to Repair
Federal investigators probe a chronic breakdown of McDonald's ice cream machines, and Trevor examines why companies make it so difficult for consumers to repair their products. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener ... Show More
11m 44s
Aug 2023
Nothing You Own Is Really Yours
Gideon Lichfield and Lauren Goode talk to Aaron Perzanowski, a University of Michigan Law Professor and author of two books on our shifting definitions of ownership, The End of Ownership and The Right to Repair. They dive into why “buying” something means less than it used to and ... Show More
41m 32s
Sep 2023
SMN: They Literally Don't Make Things Like They Used To
Hi. In today's episode, we look at Planned Obsolescence, the resulting mountains of e-waste, and why companies don't want you to be able to fix their crummy products. Sources: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1FQR6d3vksFP5Mq4KhbAWRBkg_7Vj9cfTrfGJNrK7VdE/edit?usp=sharing Suppo ... Show More
52m 56s
Apr 2022
The Right to Repair Movement - If You Don’t Know, Now You Know
Many things, from iPhones and McDonald’s ice cream machines to medical equipment, are designed to be unfixable by the average person. Here’s how the Right to Repair movement is hoping to fix this consumer issue. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Learn more abou ... Show More
11m 44s
Apr 2024
Greedflation Is Real
One of the things we rely on is for the companies who make the stuff we need to not stick it to us, the customer. But it’s become painfully clear that’s just what happened during the pandemic and that it’s still happening today. What can we do about it?See omnystudio.com/listener ... Show More
55m 34s
Jul 2021
Dare to Repair: How we broke the future
Materials engineer Professor Mark Miodownik looks back to the start of the electronics revolution to find out why our electronic gadgets and household goods are less durable and harder to repair now. As he attempts to fix his digital clock radio, he reveals that the drive for che ... Show More
27m 15s
Jul 2021
Dare to repair: Fixing the future
Mark Miodownik, explores the environmental consequences of the throwaway society we have become and reveals that recycling electronic waste comes second to repairing broken electronics. He asks what we can learn from repair cultures around the world , he looks at manufacturers wh ... Show More
27m 15s