Freakonomics Radio: How to Succeed at Failing, Part 4: Extreme Resiliency (Update) – A Detailed Summary
In the final installment of Freakonomics Radio’s series, "How to Succeed at Failing," host Stephen Dubner delves deep into the multifaceted concept of failure, exploring its implications across various fields from infectious disease research to organizational psychology and education. This episode, released on May 21, 2025, weaves together expert insights, personal narratives, and innovative strategies to understand and harness failure for success.
1. The Deadliest Infectious Disease: Tuberculosis
The episode opens with a surprising revelation about global health: tuberculosis (TB) is the world's deadliest infectious disease, surpassing more commonly recognized killers like COVID-19, malaria, influenza, and HIV.
Babak Javid, a physician-scientist specializing in TB, states at [01:52] DA:
"TB is a disease of poverty. It's really a major problem in India, China, Indonesia, Pakistan, South Africa, Nigeria."
Javid highlights that TB remains a significant threat, particularly in developing nations, due to inadequate funding and lack of public awareness. Despite the existence of a vaccine and effective antibiotics, TB continues to claim over a million lives annually.
2. Adaptive Mistranslation: A New Approach in TB Research
Delving into TB treatment, Javid discusses the concept of "adaptive mistranslation," a breakthrough in understanding bacterial resilience.
At [02:26], he explains:
"There's no Hollywood star that gets TB that puts it in the public mind, in everyday people's thoughts."
Javid recounts his research journey, emphasizing the resilience of TB bacteria against traditional treatments. The discovery that certain errors in protein synthesis can actually benefit the bacteria led him to coin the term "adaptive mistranslation," suggesting that controlled errors can foster bacterial innovation and survival.
3. Pre Mortem: Anticipating Failure in Organizations
Transitioning from biology to organizational strategy, Gary Klein, a cognitive psychologist, introduces the "pre mortem" technique—a proactive approach to anticipating and mitigating failure.
At [07:46], Klein describes:
"The pre mortem is designed to help people surface realistic possibilities and threats so that you can improve the plan, improve the product, and increase your chance of success."
Unlike traditional post mortems that analyze failures after they occur, pre mortems involve imagining a project has failed and identifying possible reasons for that failure. This method encourages candid feedback and uncovers potential issues that might otherwise remain unspoken due to team dynamics or hierarchical barriers.
Klein shares a poignant example at [15:33]:
"There was this young captain... he looked a little nervous. And he said, this tool that we're building, it's for people in the field and they have these low-powered laptops. The tool we're building runs on a supercomputer that takes 48 hours. I don't see how that's going to work."
This junior team member’s insight, elicited through the pre mortem process, led to a pivotal change in the project’s direction, underscoring the value of inclusive and anticipatory planning.
4. Alto’s Resilient Business Model: A Discussion with Will Coleman
Will Coleman, CEO of the rideshare startup Alto, shares his perspective on resilience and failure in the highly competitive rideshare industry.
At [21:42], Coleman explains:
"Uber and Lyft, we think, are the contra of safe, clean, consistent. Our brand was always built to go head to head against the big names... we call it an accessible luxury."
Alto differentiates itself by employing drivers directly and leasing vehicles, offering a more consistent and high-quality service compared to industry giants. Despite Gary Klein’s suggestion to implement pre mortems, Coleman expresses skepticism:
At [25:07], he asserts:
"If you're constantly focused on the downside, then I think you're probably not focused enough on the upside."
Coleman believes that a relentless focus on potential failures can be paralyzing, especially for startups where the probability of failure is inherently high. Instead, Alto emphasizes incremental improvements and agile decision-making to navigate uncertainties.
Despite these efforts, Alto faces challenges as reported later in the episode, reflecting the harsh realities of the startup ecosystem.
5. The Museum of Failure: Embracing and Learning from Setbacks
Samuel West, a psychologist and curator, introduces the concept of the Museum of Failure—a traveling exhibit showcasing over 150 failed innovations and products.
At [28:59], West humorously describes a failed product:
"It's golf club with... it's for us men when we're out golfing and need to urinate. So what you do is you unscrew the top of it, you clip it onto your belt, and then you fiddle under the belt and you urinate into this canister camouflaged as a golf club."
The museum aims to normalize failure, encouraging visitors to laugh and learn from past mistakes. West emphasizes that while the museum showcases commercial failures, the lessons apply broadly to personal and professional spheres.
However, recent internal conflicts have cast a shadow over the museum's mission, highlighting the complexities of publicly embracing failure.
6. Academic Perspectives on Failure: Insights from Amy Edmondson
Amy Edmondson from Harvard Business School discusses the importance of acknowledging and learning from failures within academia and beyond.
At [32:40], she advocates for transparency:
"One way to think about this is we will be failing. So let's do it joyfully, let's do it thoughtfully and celebrate them appropriately."
Edmondson points out the pervasive issue of "publication bias" where only successful or positive results are shared, leading to a skewed understanding and repetitive mistakes in research. She proposes the creation of a "Journal of Failed Results" to document and disseminate null findings and unsuccessful experiments, fostering a more comprehensive knowledge base.
Her collaboration with Roy Shalem further explores economic models where failed R&D efforts are commoditized, potentially reducing future costs and accelerating discovery.
7. Roy Shalem’s Market for R&D Failures
Roy Shalem, an economist at Tel Aviv University, presents a novel idea from his research: a marketplace for R&D failures.
At [34:13], Shalem explains:
"My paper proves that theoretically there is a potential for a market for R and D failure."
Shalem argues that selling knowledge of past failures can prevent redundant efforts and accelerate innovation by allowing competitors to learn from others' mistakes. This market could monetize failure data, turning setbacks into valuable resources for ongoing and future projects.
While this concept remains theoretical, Shalem's work opens avenues for reimagining how failure is perceived and utilized in the innovation landscape.
8. Teaching Failure: Professor Teresa McPhail’s Approach
Teresa McPhail, a medical anthropologist at Stevens Institute of Technology, shares her groundbreaking approach to educating students about failure through her course "Failure 101."
At [43:28], McPhail outlines her teaching philosophy:
"I want to really get them familiar with the concept of failure and introduce it as a necessary and natural part of life and as a crucial component of a well-lived life."
McPhail’s course challenges the traditional stigma associated with failure, encouraging students to embrace it as a learning tool. She incorporates real-life tragedies, such as student suicides linked to perfectionism and fear of failure, to underscore the profound impact of societal attitudes on mental health.
Through candid discussions and reflective exercises, McPhail aims to redefine failure for her students, fostering resilience and a healthier relationship with setbacks.
Her approach has received overwhelmingly positive feedback, with students noting a significant shift in their perception of failure and personal resilience.
9. The Psychological Toll of Failure and Strategies for Acceptance
Addressing the emotional aspects of failure, McPhail discusses the intrinsic challenges students face in accepting failure, rooted in deep-seated fears and cultural narratives that equate failure with personal inadequacy.
At [40:48], she shares a compelling student perspective:
"If you fail, you suck."
McPhail combats this by fostering an environment where failure is dissected, understood, and accepted as part of the human experience. She emphasizes that recognizing that "everyone is failing every day at everything" helps students realize that failure is universal, thereby reducing personal stigma and promoting collective learning.
10. Conclusion: Redefining Failure for Success
The episode culminates with a synthesis of insights from various experts, advocating for a paradigm shift in how failure is perceived and utilized. From adaptive mistranslation in bacteria to pre mortem strategies in organizations, and from academic transparency to educational reforms, the narrative constructs a comprehensive understanding of failure as an indispensable component of growth and innovation.
Stephen Dubner closes the series by inviting listener feedback and hinting at future topics, leaving the audience with a profound appreciation of failure’s role in shaping resilient individuals and systems.
Notable Quotes with Timestamps
- Babak Javid [01:52]: "TB is a disease of poverty. It's really a major problem in India, China, Indonesia, Pakistan, South Africa, Nigeria."
- Babak Javid [04:12]: "I kind of coined the term adaptive mistranslation, that sometimes these errors in the right context and in the right degree can actually be good for the bug."
- Gary Klein [07:56]: "A wicked problem is one where there's not a clear right answer that people would generally agree upon."
- Will Coleman [35:07]: "If you're constantly focused on the downside, then I think you're probably not focused enough on the upside."
- Samuel West [28:33]: "Elizabeth Holmes. Do I need to say anything about her? No."
- Amy Edmondson [32:40]: "One way to think about this is we will be failing. So let's do it joyfully, let's do it thoughtfully and celebrate them appropriately."
- Teresa McPhail [46:24]: "No, I'm trying to take failure and put it on the table and look at it as a social object."
Final Thoughts
This episode masterfully interlaces diverse perspectives to present a holistic view of failure. Whether it’s in combating deadly diseases, steering startups, curating museums, or shaping educational curricula, failure emerges not as an endpoint but as a critical juncture for learning, adaptation, and eventual success. By embracing failure, individuals and organizations can cultivate resilience, foster innovation, and ultimately thrive in the face of adversity.
Stay tuned to Freakonomics Radio for more insightful explorations into the hidden sides of everyday phenomena.