Unsafe By Design

Unsafe by Design is a documentary-style podcast examining the real-world consequences of technology failures that harmed or killed people — not because systems broke, but because they worked exactly as designed. Each episode investigates a major technological disaster, from medical devices and aviation software to AI-driven decision systems, focusing on the engineering choices, organizational pressures, and human assumptions that turned innovation into catastrophe. We break down complex technical failures in clear, accessible language while centering the human cost behind every incident. From the Therac-25 radiation overdoses to the Boeing 737 MAX MCAS failures, Unsafe by Design asks the uncomfortable questions: Who is responsible when code kills? Where does accountability end — and where should it begin? This podcast is for engineers, technologists, policymakers, and anyone who trusts the systems that increasingly shape — and