GoKawiilThe John Deere employees surrounding me offer their congratulations. They’ve all been very patient with me, someone who has written several articles for WIRED about their company’s seemingly steadfast reluctance to let anyone but its official technicians repair its products.
In the group is Jahmy Hindman, senior vice president and chief technology officer of John Deere, who has flown in from Illinois. Hindman has worked for the company for 30 years. In that time, John Deere has thrived in an era of technological advancement. He’s here now to show off the company’s self-repair software Operations Center Pro Service, a system that pairs with nearly every electronic-enabled machine John Deere has made.
“It is owner-friendly,” Hindman says. “I think that's always been our intent.”
Lots of farmers would beg to differ.
Oh Deere
John Deere is the largest agricultural machine manufacturer in the US. In the past couple decades, machines of this ilk have become far more technologically advanced, loaded up with controllers, radios, and sensors. Many newer machines are equipped with 4G wireless connections that enable the collection of precise location data and other metrics. Some tractors can even run without a human operator at all, guided by built-in software systems to run autonomously on predetermined paths.
Over the last decade, John Deere has become a big target of the ever-growing right-to-repair movement. The company’s high-tech software systems also come equipped with digital locks, which require official, dealer-sanctioned approval to access. If you want to fiddle with a part, or replace it with an aftermarket alternative, those software restrictions can block those attempts.
That frustration has manifested in multiple lawsuits and even federal action. In April, the company agreed to pay out a $99 million settlement to its equipment owners to pay back burdensome repair costs. In July, the company settled a separate lawsuit brought by the US Federal Trade Commission that would require the company to make its products more repairable. John Deere did not admit wrongdoing in either case. Repair advocates say the two measures have been insufficient, both in financial terms and as requirements that will actually change Deere’s behavior. (Both settlements are not yet final until a judge issues a final ruling.)
Pro Tip
John Deere disagrees, of course, citing its recent efforts to make the case that its self-repair program works just fine.
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