The Ford Edsel: A $2.5 Billion Blunder

The Ford Edsel: A $2.5 Billion Blunder

12:11 Mar 5, 2026
About this episode
In this episode, we explore the epic failure of the Ford Edsel, a car designed by committee and data that utterly missed the mark. We examine how relying too heavily on surveys and metrics, instead of understanding true customer behavior, led to one of history's most expensive product flops.Chapters00:00 The Untapped Market01:49 The Whiz Kids and McNamara03:40 The Edsel's Disastrous Debut04:42 Production Nightmares and Missing the Market07:08 The Aftermath and Lessons Learned11:25 The Principle of Disaggregating the Question
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