Great moments can have unintended consequences—ideas that sound great go horribly wrong. Watch the entire series.
first part: we knead the dough
That year: 2019
question: The restaurant has not signed up for DoorDash.
solution: Prove your value by adding your restaurant for free – no notification or permission required. Once sales figures are received, restaurants will flock to you!
Sounds like a good idea and is made with the best of intentions. What problems might arise?
It turns out people don’t like you disrupting their business. Restaurants that had never offered delivery were suddenly receiving complaints and negative reviews about cold orders. The owner of AJ’s Pizzeria in Kansas was surprised to find his restaurant on the app and his $26 specialty pizza on sale for just $16. So he ordered some. In fact, a lot. He even filled the boxes with dough to increase his profits on each transaction (Unlike DoorDash, which lost $668 million in 2019).
Like most jokes, it’s all in the delivery.
the second part: Reply promptly
Year: 2024
question: Google’s search dominance is eroding be challenged Provided by ChatGPT.
solution: Develop artificial intelligence to provide useful summaries and answers to Google queries.
Sounds like a good idea and is made with the best of intentions. What problems might arise?
It turns out that the Internet is…well, the Internet. The artificial intelligence started repeating facts and tips from the following websites: onion and Reddit—insisting that former President Barack Obama is a Muslim, that gasoline can be used for cooking, and recommending eating rocks as a great source of vitamins and minerals. It even suggested adding glue to pizza, a tip that internet sleuths found in a decade-old Reddit post by a user named “Fucksmith.”
But it does lend credence to the idea that parrots can cook.
the third part: Wikipedia-Ghost
That year: year 2013
question: There is an article on Wikipedia about a secret French military radio installation!
solution: Please Wikipedia delete this page.
Sounds like they’ve never heard of the Streisand Effect! What problems might arise?
It turns out that’s not how Wikipedia works. Since the facts in the article come from public interviews with an Air Force Major stationed there. Wikipedia balked at the idea that the page contained confidential material and refused to remove it without further clarification. That’s when the French authorities said: “Oh, that makes sense, it doesn’t matter.”
just kidding.
They summoned the French president of Wikimedia and threatened to arrest and imprison him. He deleted the entry but made sure to warn others that it would be a crime to republish the page. A Swiss contributor restored it the next day, and the ensuing controversy briefly made it the most read page on the French-language Wikipedia, which is now available in 38 different languages.
Yes, we added a link.
Great moments bring unexpected consequences: good intentions, bad results.
You know how a great moment can have unintended consequences? Email us at comeme@reason.com.
