Failure Stories
In the spirit of Fuckup Nights: the mistakes nobody wants to tell, and the lessons that came out of them.
Why talk about failure?
Success stories inspire but rarely guide: no one really knows why the thing that worked worked. Mistakes are clearer — you can see where it went wrong and teach others not to repeat it.
Every story here ends with key-takeaway cards. If you have no time for the full story, go straight to the cards.
Stories
Filter by format (video · article · podcast) or by profession tag.
Filter
The unexpected benefit of celebrating failure
Astro Teller · TED
In one moonshot lab, teams are rewarded for deliberately killing their own projects. The talk explains why.
Why an empty talk can still sound convincing
Will Stephen · TEDxNewYork
A satirical talk proving you can say nothing with total confidence — a warning for anyone who presents.