I've been fixing things for a while now. I've got some background here, and more over at kylewiens.com.
I started iFixit, the free repair manual. I think technology will make life on Earth dramatically better if we take the care to do it right. To that end, I write regularly on technology issues. I also end up in the media a fair amount.
I am lucky enough to get to travel around the world speaking on design for repair, service documentation, and the environmental impact of manufacturing. My writing has appeared in The Atlantic, Harvard Business Review, Wired, Popular Mechanics, and the Wall Street Journal.
My formal background is in Computer Science, with a Bachelor’s from Cal Poly—one of the best engineering schools in the US. But over the course of writing teardowns and researching e-waste for fifteen years, I’ve been able to work with and learn from experts and PhDs in metallurgy, electronics engineering, semiconductor manufacturing, mechanical design, and materials engineering.
I successfully helped re-legalize cell phone unlocking, my testimony before the US Copyright Office secured DMCA exemptions legalizing tractor repair and tablet jailbreaking, and I've spearheaded the passage of Right to Repair laws around the world.
My writing:
- Oil Leak Could Transform Repairmen Into Superheroes — Wired
- Why Fixers Will Save Our Planet — The Atlantic
- I Won't Hire People Who Use Poor Grammar. Here's Why — Harvard Business Review
- Unfixable Computers Are Leading Humanity Down a Perilous Path — Wired
- You don't own your cellphones or your cars — Wired
- We can’t let John Deere destroy the idea of ownership — Wired