New Books in Sociology

Darryl Campbell, "Fatal Abstraction: Why the Managerial Class Loses Control of Software" (W. W. Norton, 2025)

May 15, 2025
Darryl Campbell, author of "Fatal Abstraction" and a former tech worker at Amazon and Uber, dives into the perils of managerialism in the tech industry. He discusses how corporate emphasis on financial gains leads to disastrous decisions, citing examples like the Boeing 737 MAX. Campbell critiques the superficial understanding of technology among managers and calls for a shift towards empowering engineers and prioritizing ethics. He highlights the ethical dilemmas of AI and stresses the need for systemic change in tech leadership practices.
Ask episode
AI Snips
Chapters
Books
Transcript
Episode notes
ANECDOTE

Boeing 737 MAX Crash Story

  • Boeing's 737 MAX crashes were caused by a rushed software fix called MCAS.
  • Management's outsourcing and cost-cutting led to deadly technical failures.
INSIGHT

Facebook's Profit Over Ethics

  • Facebook prioritized ad revenue over controlling disinformation and ethical concerns.
  • This financial focus led to systemic social media harms despite awareness of the risks.
INSIGHT

MBA Model Limits for Software

  • MBA managerial models were designed for industrial-era companies, not fast-scaling software.
  • Software's speed and scale outstrip traditional financial management and regulatory frameworks.
Get the Snipd Podcast app to discover more snips from this episode
Get the app