During a ride in a Southern California desert, sales executive Scott Nelson stopped his dirt bike, pulled out a rifle and shot his old iPod. Nelson sold flash storage to Apple and hated feeling like he always got the worst end of the deal. His Japan-based manufacturer, Kioxia, had little leverage. Apple was the world’s biggest buyer of flash — the chips in iPhones that store photos, music and apps — and used its position to squeeze every cent from suppliers. Apple bullied flash makers into opening their books so it could monitor sales, making sure no one else got…

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