Louis Rossmann
Founder & Lead Technician
Right to Repair Advocate · Electronics Technician · Educator
I run an independent repair shop where my team fixes MacBooks that manufacturers often deem "unrepairable" and recovers data from drives others call dead. I advocate for your right to repair what you own, consumer rights, and the ability to say you own what you bought and paid for. I've testified before state legislatures, been featured in the Wall Street Journal and CBC, and taught millions through YouTube how to diagnose and repair their own devices.
Background
The Beginning
I was born in 1988 in New York City. At 17, while working at a recording studio aspiring to be an audio engineer, I bought a broken MacBook to use for a side session, repaired it, and sold it for a profit once finished. This first repair made me realize there was value in fixing what others threw away.
Building the Business
I founded Rossmann Repair Group in 2008 with $268 and built it without debt or investors. I taught myself component-level repair; replacing individual failed chips rather than swapping expensive logic boards; by staying up late nights for years. This allows us to fix devices for a fraction of the manufacturer's quote.
NYC to Austin
After operating in Manhattan for over a decade, we relocated to Austin, Texas in 2022. The move allowed us to expand our data recovery lab and continue offering services for MacBook logic board repair and SSD recovery.
Expertise
Right to Repair Advocacy
Since 2015, I have traveled to state legislatures to provide technical testimony on why independent repair is safe, secure, and economically important.
"Right to Repair is the concept that you should be able to choose who repairs the device you own. You should not be stuck going back to the manufacturer or dealer because parts, chips, manuals or tools are restricted by the manufacturer."
From the Repair Preservation Group Mission
Legislative Testimony
Written testimony and press conferences supporting consumer repair rights legislation.
Advocacy supporting repair access for powered wheelchairs and other assistive devices.
Testified in support of the Fair Repair Act requiring access to parts and manuals.
Appeared before the Joint Committee on Innovation, Development, Economic Advancement and Business.
Testified before the Joint Committee on Consumer Protection regarding digital right to repair.
Submitted written testimony arguing for consumer ownership rights and repair as economic opportunity.
Testified alongside Jessa Jones advocating for independent repair access.
Fundraising & Professional Advocacy
Through public support, we have raised over $2 million for Right to Repair advocacy, including a $1 million contribution from Eron Wolf (founder of Yahoo Games) and $750,000+ from public donations.
Strategic Shift: After years of personally leading these efforts, I transitioned to hiring professional lobbyists and organizers, often partnering with USPIRG. Funding meant legislative efforts could be navigated by experts familiar with the process.
Organizations
Founder & Exec Director
Non-profit (501c3) focused on education and maintaining repair.wiki.
Co-Founder & President
A non-profit working to reform DMCA Section 1201; the 1998 law that can make it illegal to bypass software locks on devices you own, even for repair or personal use.
The goal is political reform. We want to make sure consumers have legal access to and control over the devices they purchase in an increasingly anti-ownership world.
Programs & Initiatives
Pays developers to bypass anti-consumer software locks; demonstrating to lawmakers how Section 1201 prevents legitimate repair and ownership.
Public database documenting anti-ownership practices: bricked devices, revoked features, DRM-locked consumables, and subscription traps. Serves as evidence for legislative testimony.
Director of Community Outreach
2022–Feb 2025. Advocated for tech independence.
Consumer Rights Wiki
Launched in 2025, consumerrights.wiki is a public database documenting anti-consumer behavior. It serves as a permanent record for when companies revoke ownership rights.
Media & Recognition
Featured in major publications including Wall Street Journal, CBC News, BBC, CNN, and Vice.
The CBC Investigation That Went Viral
In October 2018, CBC Marketplace brought me a MacBook that Apple had quoted about $1,200 CAD to repair. They claimed it needed major assembly replacements.
The actual problem was a bent pin on the backlight cable. I bent the pin back in place; no parts required.
The segment spread widely and has reached 20M+ views across platforms, highlighting how repairable issues are sometimes quoted as full replacements.
Read the full CBC article →Selected Press Coverage
Apple Store vs. Repair Shop: What the Right to Repair Is All About
Featured by Joanna Stern demonstrating the cost and process differences between authorized and independent repair.
Read ArticleDHS Seized Aftermarket Apple Laptop Batteries
Coverage of U.S. Customs seizing legitimate aftermarket batteries labeled as counterfeit, highlighting supply chain challenges for independent shops.
Read ArticleApple founder Steve Wozniak backs right-to-repair movement
International coverage of the movement gaining support from Apple's original engineer.
Read ArticleSteve Wozniak: 'It's time to recognize the right to repair'
Reporting on Wozniak's call for open technology and support for the cause.
Read ArticleYouTube Education
Since 2012, I have used YouTube to document the repair process transparently. Unlike verified repair providers who are often forbidden from showing schematics, I show the entire diagnostic process. The channel serves as a free educational resource for technicians worldwide.
Content Includes:
- Live MacBook logic board repairs at component level
- Right to Repair legislative updates
- Data recovery walkthroughs
- Design flaw exposés
Teaching component-level repair techniques
Recognition
Steve Wozniak Endorsement
In July 2021, Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak publicly endorsed the Right to Repair movement and my advocacy work specifically. He recorded a detailed video supporting the cause:
"We wouldn't have had an Apple had I not grown up in a very open technology world."
"It's time to start doing the right things. It's time to recognize the right to repair more fully."
"I do a lot of Cameos, but this one has really gotten to me."
This endorsement from the engineer who built the Apple I and Apple II was an important moment. It validated that open repairability was part of Apple's original DNA.
Panelist at DEF CON 30 (2022), discussing the intersection of repair rights and information security.
View independently verified biography featuring 40+ third-party citations.
Connect
Need Repair or Data Recovery?
Rossmann Repair Group handles MacBook logic board repair, hard drive data recovery, and SSD recovery in-house at our Austin lab.
Free evaluation. No data = no charge.
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