“Brilliantly researched and compellingly written, WhatCouldPossibly Go Wrong? is an essential guide to understanding why so many well-intentioned policies, technologies, and interventions fail. Andrew Lam masterfully connects history, psychology, medicine, economics, and geopolitics into a deeply original framework for thinking about risk, leadership, and unintended consequences in the modern world.”

– General Stanley McChrystal (Ret.), Former Commander of U.S. and NATO Forces in Afghanistan and New York Times best-selling author of Team of Teams

"A brilliant and unsettling tour of humanity's worst self-inflicted wounds — and a practical guide to avoiding the next ones. Dr. Andrew Lam has written the kind of book that every policymaker, commander, and citizen should read before making any decision of consequence."

– Admiral James Stavridis, USN (Ret.) former Supreme Allied Commander of NATO and New York Times bestselling author of 2034: A Novel of the Next World War

“Andrew Lam’s What Could Possibly Go Wrong? asks why our most careful decisions so often produce the outcomes we try hardest to avoid. Ranging across medicine, architecture, physics, and policymaking, Lam identifies the strange, recurring patterns of failure that connect them, and offers a rare guide for thinking clearly about a world that refuses to behave.”

– Adam Alter, Ph.D., Professor of Marketing and Psychology, NYU Stern School of Business and New York Times bestselling author of Irresistible and Anatomy of a Breakthrough

“Andrew Lam asks What Could Possibly Go Wrong? His answer: PRETTY MUCH EVERYTHING!  With vivid, detailed examples from many areas of life, Lam describes the countless losses of life and money that could have been avoided if only human beings were a little less myopic, a little less greedy, and a lot more humble. This is a crucial book for those anticipating how AI will change our lives. I hope that both the creators and the regulators read it."

– Barry Schwartz is the author of The Paradox of Choice, and the co-author of Choose Wisely, among other books.

"What Could Possibly Go Wrong? is an engaging and thought-provoking guide to hidden risks in well-intentioned decisions. Drawing on vivid cases across medicine, business, public policy, and technology, Andrew Lam shows why intellectual humility, curiosity, and a willingness to question our assumptions are essential to avoiding preventable harm. This is an important, timely book for anyone charged with making consequential choices in an increasingly complex world."

– Amy C. Edmondson, Novartis Professor of Leadership and Management, Harvard Business School, author of Right Kind of Wrong: The Science of Failing Well