The second video in my sunk cost series is now up on The Unretired Engineer.

Part 1 looked at how programs keep spending after the numbers stop making sense. This one looks at the people behind those decisions: the careers, budgets, and reputations that get tied to a program, and the price everyone else pays when nobody steps back. I use the F-22 and the B-2 as examples. The Air Force bought 187 F-22s against a plan of 750, and 21 B-2s against a plan of 132.

Next up, I’m taking the same lens to physics and cosmology. If you’ve seen sunk cost play out where you work, tell me about it in the comments.