Why non-farmers should care about the John Deere repair note
Tractor company John Deere has been repeatedly criticized for tight control over its products. If someone needs to have their tractor repaired, they have to do it through official John Deere channels, which farmers say creates unnecessary hassle. If a problem occurs during harvest time, waiting days for an authorized repair can lead to financial ruin. Now, in an effort to stave off lawsuits from right-to-repair advocates, John Deere is making some concessions on repairability. But the move has been criticized by some backers who say the company still has more to do to make its products truly affordable.
This week at the Gadget Lab, we’re digging into the dirt about John Deere and what tractor maintainability means to other gadgets.
Show notes
Read Lauren’s story about John Deere. Stay tuned for all the coverage from WIRED on the Right to Repair movement.
Recommendations
Mike recommends a book Hippie Food: How natives, longhairs and revolutionaries changed the way we eat Jonathan Kaufmann. Lauren recommends taking the train. Choo-choo!
Lauren Goode @LaurenGood. Michael Kalore @snack. Bling main hotline at @GadgetLab. The show is being produced by Boone Ashworth (@Bunashworth). Our theme music is written solar keys.
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