The Unaccountability Machine
The Unaccountability Machine by Dan Daviesby Dan Davies
Hacker ApprovedThe most recommended of 12 management books
Recommended for its broad look at management systems and accountability sinks, a concept it uses to explain how organizations and AI systems avoid responsibility.
Recommended for its broad look at management systems and accountability sinks, a concept it uses to explain how organizations and AI systems avoid responsibility.
11 people gave an opinion
- recommend it
- 11
- criticize it
- 0
- approval share
- 100%
Recommended in 6 of 13 months
- November 2025: not recommended
- December 2025: not recommended
- January 2026: recommended
- February 2026: recommended
- March 2026: recommended
- April 2026: not recommended
- May 2026: recommended
- June 2026: not recommended
- July 2026: not recommended
- August 2026: not recommended
- September 2026: recommended
- October 2026: recommended
- November 2026: not recommended (month in progress)
Why it carries the badge
- 11 people recommend itNeeds 10 or more, met.
- Nobody criticizes itNeeds 2 to 1 or better, met.
- Recommended in 6 of 13 monthsNeeds 4 or more, met.
The same three rules apply to every product, and the badge can’t be bought. How the badge works
What people say about it
The reasons people give, with the number of comments that give each one. Open a reason to read what they said.
Why people recommend it
Each mark is one comment
Readers call it a great book
“good book by Dan Davies, who also wrote Lying for Money about financial fraud”
Comment from 10 Oct 2026 in “Computers Cannot Make Decisions” “Just wanted to say thanks for this rec, I'll be picking it up.”
Comment from 17 Sep 2026 in “OpenAI expands ChatGPT ads with Sponsored Agents” “Came to make the same recommendation. Great book!”
Comment from 20 Feb 2026 in “An AI Agent Published a Hit Piece on Me – The Operator Came Forward” - Comment from 17 Mar 2026 in “Polymarket gamblers threaten to kill me over Iran missile story”
Broad look at management systems
“There's a book "The Unaccountability Machine" that HN may be interested in. Takes a much broader approach across management systems.”
Comment from 29 Jan 2026 in “AI on Australian travel company website sent tourists to nonexistent hot springs” “Not actually about technology at all, but about organizational structure.”
Comment from 5 May 2026 in “AI didn't delete your database, you did” Applies its theory to AI
“the "black box" framing that it uses neatly applies the same theory to organizations and ais”
Comment from 5 May 2026 in “AI didn't delete your database, you did” “It talks a fair bit about 'accountability sinks', which are exactly these systems”
Comment from 22 Sep 2026 in “Pentagon says overreliance on AI contributed to missile strike on Iran school” Explains accountability sinks concept
“It talks a fair bit about 'accountability sinks', which are exactly these systems”
Comment from 22 Sep 2026 in “Pentagon says overreliance on AI contributed to missile strike on Iran school” “businesses already do everything they can to create accountability sinks”
Comment from 20 Feb 2026 in “An AI Agent Published a Hit Piece on Me – The Operator Came Forward”
Other management books people recommend
The four most recommended other management books, with the same counts for each, so you can compare like for like. The tick on each bar marks the 2 to 1 line the badge needs.
| Product | Recommend | Criticize | Approval | Months | Owned | Badge |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Unaccountability Machineby Dan DaviesThis page | 11 | 0 | 100% | 6 | — | Approved |
| Turn the Ship Around!by L. David Marquet | 10 | 0 | 100% | 5 | — | Approved |
| Shape Upby Ryan Singer | 6 | 0 | 100% | 4 | — | — |
| Team Topologiesby Matthew Skelton and Manuel Pais | 5 | 3 | 63% | 4 | — | — |
| Peoplewareby Tom DeMarco and Timothy Lister | 5 | 2 | 71% | 3 | — | — |
What people said
11 of the 13 comments that mention it, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“good book by Dan Davies, who also wrote Lying for Money about financial fraud”
“It talks a fair bit about 'accountability sinks', which are exactly these systems”
“Just wanted to say thanks for this rec, I'll be picking it up.”
“very interesting https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Unaccountability_Machine”
“the "black box" framing that it uses neatly applies the same theory to organizations and ais”
“Not actually about technology at all, but about organizational structure.”
“Find a review of Dan Davies' The Unaccountability Machine and see what you think.”
“Looks like a fantastic book at the outset.”
“Came to make the same recommendation. Great book!”
“businesses already do everything they can to create accountability sinks”
“There's a book "The Unaccountability Machine" that HN may be interested in. Takes a much broader approach across management systems.”
Counts come from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.