– by Ify Otuya.
Wozniak Endorses Right to Repair: Why Apple’s Co-Founder Supports Consumer Fix Rights and What It Means for E-Waste.
Note: A well-researched and compelling article on the Right to Repair movement and its broader implications on e-waste management. This article is in two parts. In part one, we’ll look at how Wozniak supported the movement – explaining why Wozniak endorses Right to Repair, and why it matters. While in Part 2, we’ll look at whether his support impacted the movement and just how he made a difference.
Part I Introduction
Repair isn’t just a buzzword—it’s one of the most powerful tools we have to fight the growing e-waste crisis. Yet for millions, the ability to fix their own devices is blocked by manufacturers. That’s why a recent high-profile endorsement of the Right to Repair movement is such a big deal.
One of the famous Rs in e-waste management is Repair. It is an important pillar in environmental advocacy because without its enablement, consumers will not be able to reuse faulty electronics whose useful life could easily be extended with a bit of engineering know-how. Repair reduces e-waste by giving everyone—even the affluent—a reason to fix, not discard, their gadgets. Further, it helps to bridge the digital divide and when it comes to refurbishing, it is likewise foundational.
Background
Imagine paying $1,000 for a phone — only to be told you’re not allowed to fix it. That’s the reality millions face in today’s tech-driven world. But one surprising voice — Apple’s co-founder — thinks that’s not just wrong, but dangerous.
Repair is so important that it has its own movement known as the Right to Repair (RtR) movement. It is a movement that is pushed by consumers and advocates who feel quite rightly, that parties other than manufacturers of electronic goods should have the right to open up purchased electronic goods and repair them themselves independently of the manufacturer if and when needed.
They argue that modern electronic devices are increasingly complex than older models and demand that all companies provide necessary repair information and tools, including diagnostic software, manuals or guides that can help, as well as Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) service parts that can be used to repair these complex products. This is a demand that is at odds with a broad range of tech companies and brands that want to retain control over who is allowed to service products from iPhones to cameras, Xboxes to wheelchairs, hospital ventilators and modern farm tractors.
The products are deliberately designed by the manufacturers to be difficult—if not near impossible—to repair by parties other than their own engineers, or computer repair experts many of whom charge exorbitant rates for repairs.
Manufacturers restrict third-party repairs using tactics like proprietary screws, unibody enclosures, and burying replaceable parts — like batteries — under layers of delicate, glued-down components.
These designs aren’t accidents. They’re meant to frustrate, not fix.
Resultantly, affordable independent fix shops that are not considered “authorized” service providers are put out of business and consumers are beholden to authorized dealerships that bear high costs and are often in short supply. Other times, consumers put their data security on the line by simply engaging whoever is affordable and available. Many consumers opt to replace older purchases with new ones, thereby increasing waste. This not only increases personal spending, but also contributes significantly to the global e-waste crisis. Manufacturers’ proprietary ownership policies, evidently, are not only expensive on customers and small businesses, they are also bad for the environment.
This makes Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak’s vocal support of the Right to Repair movement not just notable, but potentially game-changing.
The Wozniak Effect
A staunch opponent of the Right to Repair movement is Apple, the most valuable tech company in the world. Apple doesn’t like its products being repaired by third parties for reasons it has stated repeatedly, some of which revolve around consumer protection and the protection of its own reputation. It has argued that allowing people to open up and fix their devices would only expose the device users to fraud and other security dangers as well as hamper its own designs. User communities could become hotspots for hackers plus it’s dangerous to play with lithium batteries, the argument goes. In Apple’s view, self- repair does not ensure the quality, safety and security of repairs, rather it prevents all of its electronic consumers from having the same level of quality experience and satisfaction when using its products.
But is safety the whole story — or is profit the real driver?
Recently though, in an unexpected move, Apple’s co-founder Steve Wozniak publicly opposed Apple’s policies and officially threw his weight behind the Right to Repair movement.
“It’s time to recognize the Right to Repair more fully,”
Wozniak said in a recent Cameo video, about the Right to Repair.
Steve Wozniak speaks on Right to Repair – YouTube
Wozniak endorses Right to Repair not as a vague nod, but with conviction and clarity. He recorded his endorsement as a response to a request on Cameo, an app that lets ordinary people pay a celebrity to make a personalized video. His recording can be viewed on YouTube. The question was posed by Independent repair expert and Right to Repair advocate Louis Rossman who also runs the non-profit Repair Preservation Group Action Fund. He asked Wozniak the question in the hopes that Wozniak would publicly support the movement – and Wozniak did.
“I’m always totally supportive and I totally think the people behind it are doing the right thing.” Wozniak declared. In the impassioned nine-and-a-half-minute video, Wozniak said he reads different articles on the issue of Right to Repair but until now has been too busy to get involved.
Open Technology – How Apple’s Early Openness Shaped Wozniak’s Views
He stated that Apple itself wouldn’t have existed without an open technology world. He credited an open platform with the success of the Apple II, which unlike present day Apple models, had shipped with designs, code listings, wiring diagrams and schematics that aided user self-repair. According to him, the Apple II was the only source of profits at Apple for the company’s first decade and its openness – which allowed everyone to join the party – not sheer luck – was instrumental to this early success.
“So why stop them? Why stop the self-repair community?”
“How was Apple hurt by the openness of the Apple II?” He asked, making his case.
“We wouldn’t have had an Apple had I not grown up in a very open technology world – an open electronics world.”
Wozniak didn’t just build Apple. He built it with schematics, curiosity, and a soldering iron. That’s the power of the Right to Repair.
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This historic precedent forms the foundation of why Wozniak endorses Right to Repair—he sees it not just as a consumer right, but as a driver of innovation.
His view puts him at odds with the tech giant he helped start. He left the company in 1985 and no longer has any role in its running but he is still technically an employee there in a ceremonial capacity, receiving a “loyalty” weekly paycheque of about $50.
Profits
In his pro Right-to-Repair endorsement, he suggested that open repair standards would increase the longevity of devices and translate to fewer sales of new devices, for manufacturers. He gave a candid assessment of why manufacturers impose restrictions on people’s right to repair, saying “I believe the companies inhibit it because it gives the companies power, control, over everything and … power over others equates to money and profits.”
Creativity and Innovation – How Repair Culture Fueled Innovation in the Early Tech Era
Speaking about creativity and innovation, Wozniak said he found Apple’s restrictions of consumer repair options honestly stifling.
“This one has really gotten to me, it has really affected me emotionally” he said.
“(When I was growing up) you could learn electronics at a very young age. I had a hand radio license at 10 years old… back then when you bought electronic things like TVs and radios, every bit of the circuits and designs were included on paper –total open source.”
“Someone with skill could get in and modify things to fix broken radios or televisions or to improve them or to even replace destroyed parts.”
“When starting Apple, I could never afford a teletype for input and output.”
“They cost as much as two cars.”
“Even though I wanted so badly to figure out how to build a computer that was usable.”
But then his necessity gave way to innovation. Wozniak had enough knowledge of how TVs worked and had access to open source schematics that early days manufacturers (unlike Apple today) provided. With no money for a computer screen, Wozniak stared at his family’s television and saw possibility. Armed with open schematics and raw curiosity, he rewired it into a monitor — and with that hack, Apple was born.
He built his own solution!
It was precisely this can-do mentality—enabled by the right to repair—that helped usher in the technological breakthroughs we enjoy today.
“I didn’t have to afford something I could never afford,” Steve Wozniak said
“I wasn’t restricted from anything that kept me really from building that computer and showing the world the future of personal computers is going to be a keyboard and a TV.”
“That all came from being able to repair things, and modify them, and tap into them yourself.”
“You could repair a lot of things at low cost – but it’s even more precious to know that you did it yourself.”
In addition to providing a solution, he nurtured his own creativity and felt good about himself in the process – an opportunity that young people today who are learning to write software and develop hardware are clearly missing out on, he argues, as they are not able “to prove to themselves they’ve got a little special skill in the world and they could show it off to others”, which was “very motivating for creative minds” back in his day. “Believe me – that’s how I grew up”.
Wozniak’s support for Right to Repair is, therefore, not just ideological—it’s deeply personal.
Rossman requested the Cameo video from Wozniak as part of his campaign for legislation to help self-repairers and independent retailers get the tools and information they need to fix products. He has raised nearly a million dollars thus far and a potential donor said he would come onboard “with a few million dollars” but only if he first secured Wozniak’s support.
Policy
Right to repair laws, quite simply, regulate the ability for consumers to take apart, repair and modify products they purchase. In the U.S., the Biden administration recently passed legislation upholding the argument that if you own it you should be allowed to repair it, dealing a decisive blow to modern day OEM practices. Unlike the Apple II which aided self-repair and third party repair, repairers today have come under fire from Apple, which has issued legal threats in response to the sharing of proprietary information about its latest models. The tech giant takes its profits that seriously.
While it is not clear how quickly Apple will change its policy of restrictive repair, the battle can be expected to continue for the foreseeable future. The world’s largest company (per market cap) is not going to cede proprietary control without a fight. Still, Wozniak endorses Right to Repair at a time when momentum is building—from U.S. federal policy to grassroots advocacy. The Right to Repair movement in its own right can be expected to continue to mount pressure on modern manufacturing trends, after all it has just gained unprecedented traction now that Wozniak endorses Right to Repair, alongside the Biden administration’s support!
Eyes and ears should be on Right to Repair because an open marketplace for repairs benefits e-waste management and the environment. It also helps to bridge the digital divide between rich and poor countries, while encouraging creativity and reducing costs for consumers and independent retailers.
Wozniak isn’t just backing a cause. He’s defending the spirit that built Apple in the first place — curiosity, creativity, and the belief that anyone can fix, build, and dream. And in a world drowning in discarded devices, a return to that belief is the repair we need most — this is how we rethink change.
Key Takeaways
- Steve Wozniak publicly endorses the Right to Repair, opposing Apple’s stance.
- He sees openness as essential for innovation, education, and e-waste reduction.
- His support adds powerful momentum to an already growing movement.
What’s Next?
But did Steve Wozniak’s support really make a difference?
In Part II, we explore the ripple effects of his endorsement.
Curious about what you can do to stem the growing tide of e-waste? Start with this guide on reducing e-waste in your daily life.
Interested in learning more about how tech and sustainability intersect? Browse our e-waste blog or subscribe for updates.
Author’s Bio:
Ify Otuya is a passionate advocate for addressing e-waste challenges in Africa. As the Founder of June E-Waste Academy, she has spearheaded the first e-waste academy in the African region, dedicated to promoting e-waste education, awareness, and sustainable solutions. Her commitment to this cause extends beyond the classroom, as she has also authored the book “E-Waste Art,” a creative exploration of e-waste’s impact on our world. Ify’s mission is to bridge the knowledge gap surrounding e-waste issues and inspire positive change. For inquiries, collaborations, or to connect with her on this vital mission, feel free to reach out to her via email at missotuya@gmail.com.
