From Audible Originals, I'm Lindsay Graham, and this is American Scandal. Stockton Rush cast himself as a visionary, as a rule breaker.

Through his company, Ocean Gate, he set out to open an untapped market in deep-sea tourism

and change underwater exploration forever.

I think it was General MacArthur said,

you're remembered for the rules you break.

And, you know, I've broken some rules to make this.

I think I've broken them with logic and good engineering behind me.

But in pursuing that dream, he allowed hubris to override safety.

He dismissed regulators as unimaginative bureaucrats

and argued formal safety certification was nothing more than an obstacle to progress.

He was extremely stubborn, extremely stubborn.

I think he felt he had absolute license,

that this company was his creation,

and that ultimately his decision was the only one that mattered.

Rush's bravado eventually led to disaster

when he and four of his passengers were killed

on an excursion to the Titanic in June 2023.

But his attitude towards risk was far from unique.

It mirrored a long-established narrative in American business and culture,

a narrative that cast founders as geniuses who disrupt entire industries through sheer force of will.

And it's an appealing story. But the reality behind it can be

far less attractive. I would say generally anyone who relies on that there's something wrong.

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