A Weird Way to Win the Trade War with Trump

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Feb 3, 2025

Cory Doctorow, a renowned novelist and digital rights activist, shares a radical strategy for Canada to counter Trump's trade tariffs. Instead of retaliatory tariffs, he proposes a 'hack'—leveraging the right to repair to reclaim billions from the U.S. economy. They discuss the limitations of current ownership models, the potential of jailbreaking tech products, and how legislative changes could foster local innovation. Doctorow emphasizes empowering consumers to take control of their purchases while critiquing the grip of big tech on market choices.

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INSIGHT

Economic Impact of Digital Locks

The current law benefits American companies, allowing them to control prices and limit competition.
Bypassing digital locks could empower consumers, independent businesses, and Canadian tech.

ANECDOTE

The Inkjet Wizard

The Inkjet Wizard offers cheaper refills, highlighting the demand for affordable alternatives.
This shows how digital locks create artificial monopolies.

ANECDOTE

Tesla's Subscription Model

Tesla charges subscription fees for features already built into their cars, like battery capacity and self-driving.
This demonstrates the shift towards a subscription model where consumers don't fully own their products.

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Today’s show is about a novel strategy for Canada to fight back against Trump’s Trade War.

Trump is set to slap tariffs on Canada starting Tuesday February 4. Trudeau swiftly answered that tit with tat. Prices go up and nearly everyone loses.

That’s how a trade war goes, two countries slap themselves in the face until one of them can’t take it anymore and cries uncle.

The whole thing is just so dumb.

So, is there any other way to fight back? Something smarter?

Novelist, essayist and activist Cory Doctorow has an idea: Canada must hit America back, not with a slap, but with a hack. Doctorow wants to pull billions of dollars out of the American economy and bring it back to Canada through the “right to repair.” He wants us to jailbreak everything from tractors and Teslas to Fortnite skins and Uber apps.

Host: Jesse Brown

Credits: Tristan Capacchione (Audio Editor and Technical Producer), Bruce Thorson (Senior Producer), max collins (Director of Audio), Jesse Brown (Editor and Publisher)

Guests: Cory Doctorow

Fact checking by max collins

Photo: Copyright Julia Galdo and Cody Cloud (JUCO), www.jucophoto.com/, Creative Commons Attribution