Code Curiosities

The Spreadsheet That Broke a Country

Episode Summary

In 2010, two Harvard economists published a paper that became the intellectual backbone for austerity measures across Europe — policies that reshaped millions of lives. The only problem? A grad student later discovered the whole thing hinged on a botched Excel formula, a few accidentally hidden rows, and a copy-paste error. It turns out the most consequential bugs don't always live inside missile systems.