Hi Reader!

In June of 2023, a small experimental submersible called the Titan descended into the Atlantic, bound for the Titanic wreck nearly 13,000 feet below the surface. It was part of a high-profile expedition led by OceanGate — a company that positioned itself as a pioneer in deep-sea exploration.

The sub imploded during the dive. All five people on board were killed instantly.

In the weeks that followed, the tragedy sparked headlines, speculation, and debate. But now, three years later, we have more clarity. And some of that was really unexpected.

The U.S. Coast Guard’s official investigation confirms what many feared: this wasn’t just a technical failure. The problem was much bigger.

The final report outlines a range of contributing factors — design flaws, regulatory gaps, inadequate inspections, poor maintenance, ignored data, and more. And there was one more factor that really stood out to me: organizational culture.

It’s not the only cause. But it’s the one I focus on — because in my work, I’ve seen how powerful (and dangerous) culture can be when it’s left unchecked.

How culture creates catastrophe

Culture is often invisible until it breaks something. In OceanGate’s case, it broke everything.

According to the report, the internal environment at OceanGate discouraged safety conversations and punished dissent. Engineers who raised concerns were fired. No formal safety leadership existed. Technical authority was centralized around the CEO, and outside experts who raised red flags — as early as 2018 — were dismissed.

The company valued speed, risk-taking, and innovation. But that same culture, over time, created an ecosystem where risk awareness turned into recklessness. Yes, they got their decision-making faster, but tragically not smarter.

It wasn’t just the environment inside the company — it was the message the culture sent: if you slow us down, you’re the problem.

That’s how risk becomes normalized. That’s how disasters happen.

The patterns we don’t like to see

I’m not in the submersible business. And most probably, you aren’t either.

But the behaviors that led to the Titan’s implosion aren’t exclusive to extreme engineering. I’ve seen versions of them in tech companies, healthcare startups, and nonprofit boards. Anywhere speed is prioritized, egos go unchecked, and culture gets treated like a “soft skill.”

It usually starts the same way: a leader with vision, a team that believes in the mission, and a desire to move fast. That’s not the problem.

The problem is what happens when dissent is inconvenient. When no one wants to be the one to “slow things down.” When speaking up is quietly punished.

What’s left behind is a culture where bad decisions don’t get caught — and good people stop trying to catch them.

This is what culture actually does

In OceanGate’s case, culture wasn’t about ping pong tables or team off-sites. It was about who got heard, who got silenced, and how decisions got made when pressure was high.

That’s what culture really is.

It’s not your mission statement — it’s how your organization reacts when someone raises a concern. It’s what happens when protocols conflict with performance. It’s who gets promoted, who gets fired, and why.

You don’t have to be building submarines for this to matter.

What I tell my clients

Here’s how I talk about this with leaders and founders:

Culture is not a side project.

It’s infrastructure. Ignore it, and it will build itself — often in ways you don’t like.

Leadership behavior sets the ceiling.

If you dismiss concerns or override expertise, don’t be surprised when your team follows suit.

The absence of safety is invisible… until it isn’t.

Most people won’t tell you they’re afraid to speak up. They’ll just stop trying.

The Titan story is an extreme case. But it’s also a case study. One that shows us what happens when ambition, pressure, and poor leadership combine — and no one hits the brakes.

The Titan didn’t implode just because of culture. But culture made that outcome more likely, more acceptable, and ultimately, more deadly.

This isn’t just a story about a failed dive. It’s a warning about what happens when we treat culture as secondary.

Because the truth is — it’s not.

That’s all for this week.

See you next Thursday

Daria

P.S. If you want a deeper look at how culture impacts performance and resilience, I wrote about three business case studies in this Forbes Council article: 3 Ways Investing In Corporate Culture Can Transform Your Business.