#1652

Mentioned in 17 episodes

The Unaccountability Machine

Why Big Systems Make Terrible Decisions - and How The World Lost its Mind

Book • 2024

In 'The Unaccountability Machine', Dan Davies explores why large systems, including markets, institutions, and governments, often produce outcomes that no one intends.

He draws on the work of Stafford Beer, a pioneer in management cybernetics, to explain how organizations can be seen as artificial intelligences making decisions independent of their members' intentions.

Davies critiques the current state of management and economic systems, highlighting the concept of 'accountability sinks' where negative feedback is ignored, and discusses the consequences of these systemic failures, including the 2008 financial crisis.

The book is a blend of part-biography and part-political thriller, offering a compelling narrative on the need for better accountability and decision-making processes.

Mentioned by

Mentioned in 17 episodes

Recommended by

Alistair Croll

as a book he has literally made an entire conference theme out of this year.

583 snips

Just evil enough: Subversive marketing strategies for startups | Alistair Croll (author, advisor, entrepreneur)

Mentioned by

Rory Sutherland

as a book exploring unaccountability traps in business.

157 snips

Rory Sutherland on why marketing is the answer to economic growth

Recommended by

Sebastian Gehrmann

as a recently published book about how organizations fail to build accountability processes.

150 snips

905: Why RAG Makes LLMs Less Safe (And How to Fix It), with Bloomberg’s Dr. Sebastian Gehrmann

Mentioned by

Rory Sutherland

when talking about acountability

131 snips

Interview: Rory Sutherland, author of Alchemy, on why irrational ideas work

Recommended by

Rory Stewart

; explores unaccountability in large systems and how it leads to poor decisions.

118 snips

404. Question Time: How Starmer Fell Into Farage's Immigration Trap

Mentioned by

Joe Weisenthal

as the author of the book discussed in the podcast.

91 snips

The Theory That Explains Why Everyone Went Crazy

Mentioned by

Patrick McKenzie

Dan Davies

's new book.

58 snips

Balancing control and chaos: cybernetics, fraud, and modern organizations with Dan Davies

Erwähnt von

Alexander Schatten

im Zusammenhang mit der zunehmenden Strukturierung und Standardisierung in Organisationen.

48 snips

121 — Künstliche Unintelligenz

Mentioned by

Phill Agnew

as the book written by today's guest,

Dan Davies

42 snips

When Schiphol Airport shredded 400 squirrels (and why no one was to blame)

Mentioned by

Rory Sutherland

when discussing the impact of optimization models on human preference and decision-making.

27 snips

Rory Sutherland – Are We Now Too Impatient to Be Intelligent?

Mentioned by

Martin Reeves

as the author's latest book, examining why companies and governments create unwanted outcomes.

17 snips

The Unaccountability Machine with Dan Davies

Mentioned by

Rory Stewart

as one of the books he is currently reading, focusing on the complexities of modern societies and accountability.

16 snips

321. Question Time: Why do politicians leak to the press?

Mentioned by

Ben Mathis-Lilley

when discussing how organizations fail by focusing on specific numbers and neglecting other planning.

12 snips

Behind the Democrats’ Losing Strategy

Mentioned by

Michael Caley

and

Mike Goodman

as the subject of the podcast episode, discussing its ideas on business, capitalism, and European football.

11 snips

The Cybernetics of Football with Dan Davies

Mentioned by

Jacob Shapiro

in relation to his negative view on stable coins.

Stablecoins and the Geopolitics of Trust

Mentioned by

Nicholas McKay

as the book written by

Dan Davies

and long listed for the 2024 Financial Times Book of the Year.

Dan Davies, "The Unaccountability Machine: Why Big Systems Make Terrible Decisions—and How the World Lost Its Mind" (U of Chicago Press, 2025)

Recommended by

Rory Sutherland

to read to understand populism, mentioning it looks at business through information flows.

Rory, Elfried and Krish on AI

Mentioned by

Phil Tinline

when discussing a rules-based system where no one is to blame.

Why are people talking about an English civil war? | Politics with Anoosh Chakelian

Discussed by Jerry and Stably for its exploration of irrational outcomes in large systems.

The Unaccountability Machine by Dan Davies

Mentioned by

Ben Catanio

as the title of his book, explaining why big systems make terrible decisions.

Ep. 240: Dan Davies - On "The Unaccountability Machine"

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