# The Unaccountability Machine by Dan Davies

11 Hacker News commenters recommended The Unaccountability Machine by Dan Davies and 0 criticized it, November 2025 to November 2026. It was recommended in 6 of 13 months. It meets the Hacker Approved badge rule.

**Verdict:** Recommended for its broad look at management systems and accountability sinks, a concept it uses to explain how organizations and AI systems avoid responsibility.

## Why people recommend it

- Readers call it a great book (4 comments): "good book by Dan Davies, who also wrote Lying for Money about financial fraud" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50031200)) "Just wanted to say thanks for this rec, I'll be picking it up." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49736321)) "Came to make the same recommendation. Great book!" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47084658))
- Broad look at management systems (2 comments): "There's a book "The Unaccountability Machine" that HN may be interested in. Takes a much broader approach across management systems." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46810550)) "Not actually about technology at all, but about organizational structure." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48024185))
- Applies its theory to AI (2 comments): "the "black box" framing that it uses neatly applies the same theory to organizations and ais" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48024256)) "It talks a fair bit about 'accountability sinks', which are exactly these systems" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49809736))
- Explains accountability sinks concept (2 comments): "It talks a fair bit about 'accountability sinks', which are exactly these systems" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49809736)) "businesses already do everything they can to create accountability sinks" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47083810))

## Alternatives hackers recommend

- [Turn the Ship Around! by L. David Marquet](https://hackerapproved.com/p/turn-the-ship-around.md): 10 recommend
- [Shape Up by Ryan Singer](https://hackerapproved.com/p/shape-up.md): 6 recommend
- [Team Topologies by Matthew Skelton and Manuel Pais](https://hackerapproved.com/p/team-topologies.md): 5 recommend
- [Peopleware by Tom DeMarco and Timothy Lister](https://hackerapproved.com/p/peopleware.md): 5 recommend
- [Army Leadership by US Army](https://hackerapproved.com/p/us-army-leadership-doctrine.md): 5 recommend

## Where to get it

- [See price on Amazon](https://www.amazon.com/dp/0226843092?tag=hackerapprove-20) (affiliate link)
- [Bookshop.org](https://bookshop.org/a/130825/9780226843094) (affiliate link)

## Cite as

Hacker Approved, "The Unaccountability Machine by Dan Davies", https://hackerapproved.com/p/unaccountability-machine/ (counts from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026).