Uploaded October 2025 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
Why even the experts don’t understand modern technology.
Join Aidan McCullen and Samuel Arbesman, author of Overcomplicated: Technology at the Limits of Comprehension, for a thought-provoking dive into the unseen complexity of our digital world.
🔍 In this episode:
• Why systems become “overcomplicated” even by design
• The mystery behind technological failures (NYSE, Toyota)
• How “accretion” leads to spaghetti code and legacy chaos
• The biological limits of human comprehension
• Generalists vs specialists in innovation
• The balance of intellectual humility in the age of AI
📚 Sponsored by Kyndryl – learn more at kyndryl.com
⏱️ Timestamps:
0:00 Introduction and Sponsor Message
00:19 Unsolved Mysteries in Technology
01:18 Guest Introduction: Samuel Arbesman
01:57 Overview of 'Overcomplicated'
03:25 Case Studies: Stock Exchange and Toyota
07:53 The Concept of Accretion
15:48 Complexity vs. Complication
26:49 Interoperability and Trade-offs
29:29 Systemic Failures and Interoperability
29:53 Open Source Software and Maintenance Challenges
32:00 Biological Limits of Human Comprehension
34:51 The Role of Technology in Understanding Complex Systems
40:52 The Burden of Knowledge and the Need for Generalists
50:53 Physics vs. Biological Thinking in Innovation
55:49 Final Thoughts on Humility and Understanding
00:00 Understanding the Complexity of Modern Technology | Samuel Arbesman on Overcomplicated
Find Samuel Arbesman: arbesman.net
Find Aidan McCullen: thethursdaythought.substack.com
[Aidan McCullen is an internationally Thinkers50 recognised thought leader on change and innovation. He is the author of Undisruptable and host of the globally acclaimed Innovation Show. A former international rugby player, Aidan now helps leaders and organisations thrive in an age of constant reinvention.]
Why even the experts don’t understand modern technology.
Join Aidan McCullen and Samuel Arbesman, author of Overcomplicated: Technology at the Limits of Comprehension, for a thought-provoking dive into the unseen complexity of our digital world.
🔍 In this episode:
• Why systems become “overcomplicated” even by design
• The mystery behind technological failures (NYSE, Toyota)
• How “accretion” leads to spaghetti code and legacy chaos
• The biological limits of human comprehension
• Generalists vs specialists in innovation
• The balance of intellectual humility in the age of AI
📚 Sponsored by Kyndryl – learn more at kyndryl.com
⏱️ Timestamps:
0:00 Introduction and Sponsor Message
00:19 Unsolved Mysteries in Technology
01:18 Guest Introduction: Samuel Arbesman
01:57 Overview of 'Overcomplicated'
03:25 Case Studies: Stock Exchange and Toyota
07:53 The Concept of Accretion
15:48 Complexity vs. Complication
26:49 Interoperability and Trade-offs
29:29 Systemic Failures and Interoperability
29:53 Open Source Software and Maintenance Challenges
32:00 Biological Limits of Human Comprehension
34:51 The Role of Technology in Understanding Complex Systems
40:52 The Burden of Knowledge and the Need for Generalists
50:53 Physics vs. Biological Thinking in Innovation
55:49 Final Thoughts on Humility and Understanding
00:00 Understanding the Complexity of Modern Technology | Samuel Arbesman on Overcomplicated
Find Samuel Arbesman: arbesman.net
Find Aidan McCullen: thethursdaythought.substack.com
[Aidan McCullen is an internationally Thinkers50 recognised thought leader on change and innovation. He is the author of Undisruptable and host of the globally acclaimed Innovation Show. A former international rugby player, Aidan now helps leaders and organisations thrive in an age of constant reinvention.]
