Just in case you needed a refresher on the story of Daedalus and Icarus, here’s a modern one: 

Five people—a group of multi-millionaires and billionaires—went on a expedition to explore the Titanic, which went as well as you would expect. They were ambitious and believed they had the capacity to go wherever they wanted. They dove too deep, and have recently been declared dead. 

Daedalus and OceanGate’s ill-fated Titan submersible do feel eerily linked. From the wax in Daedalus’ faux wings melting as Icarus flew too close to the sun, to the Titan’s carbon fiber frame imploding from pressure when it swam too deep, both stories speak of human ambition, its limits, and its deadly reminders. 

In both cases, it’s a lesson on why the “move fast and break things” philosophy in tech development should be retired. The phrase, coined by Mark Zuckerberg, became the credo of this current generation of tech billionaires, who felt that their immense wealth gave them the safety net they needed to make high-risk, high-reward gambles on product development.

In order to “move fast”, however, OceanGate ignored pleas to be more cautious. They prioritized advancing their proprietary technology over adhering to mandatory safety standards. They and their innocent clients paid the price for it.

Some online commenters are of the belief that the Titan and its crew deserve this fate, as the “eat the rich” narrative is at an all-time high with movies like The Menu and Glass Onion. Others are on the side of life, and how absolutely nobody should be trapped in a sub the size of a minivan for days on end. Many more don’t really care and continue to meme the situation to the moon and back. 

Still, a tragedy is a tragedy, no matter how many shortcuts were taken when building the Titan. We shouldn’t applaud OceanGate for using their money as an excuse to “move fast”, but the fact is that they also didn’t just “break things” in the process; they lost five real human lives. No amount of money can ever act as a safety net for that.

This story hits hard because of how aspirational it could have been. Who wouldn’t want to have the cash necessary to go where so few have gone before? Who wouldn’t want to generate wealth by creating unforgettable experiences for others?

Perhaps this disaster will teach us about how important technical specifications and practical experience can be. If we want to continue to explore beyond our limits, that side of the equation needs to be properly handled. We can’t pretend that safety regulations are something we can just throw money at to make them go away.

It’s easy to get lost in the quest for the ever-so tempting “more”, but we should never forget to look up at the sky, know our limits, and learn to appreciate working with “enough”. 

May the victims rest in peace. 

Written with input from Snow Schnabel and Marco Sumayao.