Major tech companies have long opposed the right to repair, but Microsoft is finally engaging with lawmakers and activists. (via grist)
When Washington lawmakers revived their right-to-repair bill for the 2023 legislative cycle, Microsoft once again came to the negotiating table. From state senator and bill sponsor Joe Nguyen’s perspective, Microsoft’s view was, “We see this coming, we’d rather be part of the conversation than outside. And we want to make sure it is done in a thoughtful way.”
“Microsoft has consistently supported expanding safe, reliable, and sustainable options for consumer device repair,” Plenefisch told Grist in an emailed statement. “We have, in the past, opposed specific pieces of legislation that did not fairly balance the interests of manufacturers, customers, and independent repair shops in achieving this goal. HB 1392, as considered on the House floor, achieved this balance.
“A lot of conversations have been quite productive” around the Minnesota bill, Proctor said. TechNet declined to comment on negotiations regarding the Minnesota right-to-repair bill, or whether Microsoft’s support for a bill in Washington has impacted its engagement strategy. The Consumer Technology Association shared letters it sent to legislators outlining its reasons for opposing the bills in Washington and Minnesota, but it also declined to comment on specific meetings or on Microsoft.
“Ultimately, I do believe there is a compromise path that can be reached but will take a lot more work,” MacEwen said.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Microsoft’s new Xbox Home UI looks way better with more room for backgroundsSome Xbox Insiders will get access this week.
Read more »
Microsoft Broke a Chrome Feature to Promote Its Edge BrowserWindows borked a Chrome feature that helped change your default browse and harassed some users with popups every time they opened Chrome. It's part of Microsofts ongoing war on alternative browsers and the people who use them.
Read more »
Microsoft claims it has a new way to keep ChatGPT ethical | Digital TrendsMicrosoft shut down its AI ethics team in March, but the company says it’s still working on ways to keep ChatGPT and responsible and prevent further scandals.
Read more »
Microsoft Edge is losing to Safari, despite its push for AI | Digital TrendsAccording to StatCounter, Apple Safari has surpassed Microsoft Bing in desktop users for the month of April 2023.
Read more »
CEOs of Microsoft, Alphabet called to AI meeting at White House: reportsVice President Kamala Harris will reportedly host the chief executives of Alphabet, Microsoft, OpenAI and Anthropic at the White House on Thursday to discuss artificial-intelligence issues.
Read more »
Google, Microsoft CEOs to talk AI with VP HarrisThe CEOs of major tech companies engaged in artificial intelligence have been invited to the White House to meet with Vice President Kamala Harris this week.
Read more »