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Let me tell you the story of Thomas Midgley Jr. and why solutioneering can become a serious problem when building products 
(thread)
(thread)
Midgley was hired by @GM to solve a little problem they had with knocking in cars.
A few solutions were tried in the process:
A few solutions were tried in the process:
Solution 1: alcohol
Too cheap, cannot be commercialized
Solution 2: iodine
Too expensive to make
Too cheap, cannot be commercializedSolution 2: iodine
Too expensive to make
Solution 3: leaded gasoline
Just right
Except for the little it kills everyone that comes into contact with it, but hey..they could trademark it and sell it, so why not!
Just rightExcept for the little it kills everyone that comes into contact with it, but hey..they could trademark it and sell it, so why not!
Now @GM was entirely aware of this, and even removed Midgley Jr. from the project
When asked to run validity on the claims that leaded gasoline was dangerous
The Committee decided it couldn't agree either way so marked it "safe"
When asked to run validity on the claims that leaded gasoline was dangerous
The Committee decided it couldn't agree either way so marked it "safe"
But Midgley's story doesn't end there.
Years later @GM hired him again, this time to find the solution to exploding refrigerators
And so came along freon
Years later @GM hired him again, this time to find the solution to exploding refrigerators
And so came along freon
Outcomes from that:
We can now store our food and have an icy cold beer
Freon is also the stabilising agent in aerosols
Aerosols are responsible for that big hole in the ozone we found in the 1980s
We can now store our food and have an icy cold beer Freon is also the stabilising agent in aerosolsAerosols are responsible for that big hole in the ozone we found in the 1980s
Imagine being this guy though... What a karma he racked up being responsible for not one
but two of the biggest contributors to climate change
(thankfully, he wasn't also responsible for the invention of plastic)
but two of the biggest contributors to climate change
(thankfully, he wasn't also responsible for the invention of plastic)
But what can we learn from all of this?
Keep product ethics in mind when building products
Think ahead! Second action consequences are important
Focus on the problem for the end user, not the solution that best fits *you*
Keep product ethics in mind when building products Think ahead! Second action consequences are important Focus on the problem for the end user, not the solution that best fits *you*
I wrote more about Midgley and product ethics on this @MindtheProduct blog post https://www.mindtheproduct.com/we-cant-trust-technology-providers-is-it-time-for-a-code-of-ethics/
