Microsoft—Microsoft committed to expand right-to-repair options following shareholder pressure
In October 2021, Microsoft became the first major U.S. tech manufacturer to commit to right-to-repair following shareholder resolution pressure from As You Sow. The company agreed to complete a third-party study on repair impacts, expand availability of parts and repair documentation beyond authorized service providers for Surface devices and Xbox consoles, and provide new mechanisms to increase consumer access to repair by the end of 2022. Microsoft subsequently shifted to neutral and supportive positions on state right-to-repair legislation in Washington (2022-2023).
Scoring Impact
| Topic | Direction | Relevance | Contribution |
|---|---|---|---|
| Consumer Protection | +toward | secondary | +0.50 |
| Corporate Governance | +toward | contextual | +0.20 |
| Right to Repair | +toward | primary | +1.00 |
| Overall incident score = | +0.376 | ||
Score = avg(topic contributions) × significance (high ×1.5) × confidence (0.59)× agency (reactive ×0.75)
Evidence (1 signal)
Microsoft agreed to expand consumer repair options in response to shareholder resolution
On October 7, 2021, Microsoft agreed to increase consumers' options to repair devices by the end of 2022 following shareholder pressure from As You Sow. This made Microsoft the first major U.S. manufacturer to agree to change repair policies following investor pressure. Microsoft committed to complete a third-party study on repair impacts and expand availability of parts and repair documentation for Surface and Xbox devices beyond authorized service providers.