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“People want something that will last them a long time, that is quality and useful,” says Alexander Kocher, Google’s senior director. “Eventually, when it breaks or you lose it, you get a new one because you feel cared for in it. So I think that builds trust, and trust is important.”
Flex started out as an enterprise service for businesses. Google has offered companies concerned about vulnerabilities in older devices a way to easily update to a more secure operating system. Or at least one is still receiving updates. After a while, other users started getting the software, downloading it and installing it on their USB sticks for their personal devices. “We didn’t make it particularly easy at the time,” Kocher says. “But people did.”
What led to a more consumer-oriented push for ChromeOS Flex — like this partnership with Back Market — was the end of software support for Microsoft’s operating system. Windows 10 operating system last fall. While the operating system is still Technically it worksIt stopped receiving security updates, and Microsoft encouraged users to update to it Windows 11. But Windows 11 has specific hardware requirements, and it does It may not be a simple upgrade On certain machines. Google saw this as the right moment to provide a cheaper alternative to the “Windows 10 cliff,” as Kocher put it. Back market approved.
“Ultimately,[Microsoft]says people need to get rid of their existing laptop to buy another one,” says Hogues de La Rose. “And we politely say no.”
If you’re tech savvy, you can ditch the $3 Back Market stick and download ChromeOS Flex to a USB drive You’re lying right now.
Purchase renewal
Back Market has done very well for itself despite the economic turmoil. As devices become more expensive, people turn to cheaper, refurbished options. He compares the appliance market to the automobile industry.
“Ninety percent of cars are sold used,” says Hugues de Larose. “The new normal is to buy used cars because it’s stupid to buy a new one.”
When US President Donald Trump He announced comprehensive tariffs Last year, Hug de Larauze says back market sales tripled. Even after the dust settled a little and it became clear that the tariffs would not have a direct impact Smartphones or computersHug de Larauze says sales have remained double what they were before. Back Market generated revenue of $3.8 billion in 2025, making the company profitable for the first time. While Hugues de Larose says these types of economic fluctuations may be beneficial for sending more people into the back market, he hopes it will shift the buyer mindset to buying refurbished technology in a big way.
“We have one planet, and the resources are limited,” says Hogues de Larose. “We need that Do more with what we already have In every sector. Fashion is the same, transportation is the same, energy is the same, it’s the same in everything.