Summary

Framework Computer is a San Francisco-based personal computer manufacturer founded on a single, radical premise: that consumer electronics should be durable goods, not disposable ones. The company’s laptops are built around modularity and repairability as first principles; every component is user-replaceable using only the screwdriver included in the box. QR codes on each part link directly to step-by-step repair guides and the Framework marketplace, where every spare part can be ordered. The iconic Expansion Card system lets users choose their own ports — USB-A, HDMI, DisplayPort, SD card and more — as swappable cartridges. RAM, storage, and batteries are all standard, off-the-shelf formats. Crucially, each new generation of Framework laptops remains backwards compatible with previous ones, meaning an owner from 2021 can upgrade their mainboard in 2025 without buying a new machine. Framework also runs a refurbishment program through which older devices are reconditioned and resold. The company has shipped hundreds of thousands of laptops across multiple generations and built a growing ecosystem of parts, expansion cards, and compatible components. The Framework Laptop 13 received a perfect 10 out of 10 repairability score from iFixit — the gold standard in right-to-repair assessments.

Story

Nirav Patel founded Framework in January 2020 after a decade working in consumer electronics at Apple, Oculus, and Facebook, where he felt a growing unease about the industry’s direction. The products he helped build were becoming faster and thinner — but also more glued shut, less repairable, and increasingly destined for landfill. Framework’s mission is to end the disposability of consumer electronics — to convert them from throwaway items into durable goods, the way bicycles and cars are maintained and repaired rather than simply replaced. The company launched its first laptop in 2021 and has since expanded to 32 countries across four continents. Framework has raised $44M in total funding and built a passionate community of developers, makers, and hardware hackers who extend the platform’s capabilities even further.

Pic credit: Framework