When Schiphol Airport shredded 400 squirrels (and why no ...

What this episode covers

Have businesses become less accountable? If something goes wrong with your flight, train, or takeaway, you’ll probably struggle to get a helpful response from someone. Today’s guest on Nudge, economist Dan Davies, says this is by design. He calls them Unaccountability Machines, and they’re taking over. He explains that they’ve caused the world’s largest defamation settlement against Fox News, almost destroyed Boeing, and even massacred 400 Chinese squirrels. --- Dan’s book: https://profilebooks.com/work/the-unaccountability-machine/ Dan’s Nudgestock talk: https://youtu.be/W-2He-YzjRg?si=Gqk30nCPLDxxEh52 Subscribe to the (free) Nudge Newsletter: https://nudge.ck.page/profile Connect on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/phill-agnew-22213187/ Watch Nudge on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@nudgepodcast/ --- Today’s sources: BBC News. (1999, April 15). Dutch airline in squirrel shredding row. BBC News. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/320721.stm Davies, D. (2024). The Unaccountability Machine: Why big systems make terrible decisions—and how the world lost its mind. Profile Books.

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This episode is 37 minutes long.

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This episode was published on August 25, 2025.

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Have businesses become less accountable? If something goes wrong with your flight, train, or takeaway, you’ll probably struggle to get a helpful response from someone. Today’s guest on Nudge, economist Dan Davies, says this is by design. He calls...

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