Top Software Failures Due To Lack
Of Testing
Ariane 5 Rocket Explosion (1996)
- Incident: A software bug in the rocket’s guidance system caused it to self-destruct 37 seconds after launch.
- Cause: A data conversion error when a 64-bit floating-point number was converted to a 16-bit integer.
- Impact: Loss of $370 million and damage to the European Space Agency’s reputation.
Boeing 737 MAX Crashes (2018 & 2019)
- Incident: Two crashes (Lion Air Flight 610 and Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302) killing 346 people.
- Cause: Faulty software in the Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System (MCAS).
- Impact: $20 billion in fines and lawsuits, grounding of 737 MAX fleet worldwide.
Apple Maps Launch (2012)
- Incident: Apple Maps was introduced as a replacement for Google Maps but was riddled with inaccuracies and glitches, such as misplaced landmarks and distorted images.
- Cause: Inadequate QA and insufficient real-world testing.
- Impact: Public backlash, CEO Tim Cook’s apology, and users returning to Google Maps.
Samsung S Voice Demo Fail (2012)
- Incident: During the Galaxy S3 launch, the new voice assistant, S Voice, failed to respond to commands.
- Cause: Poor integration testing and demo preparation.
- Impact: Loss of confidence in the S Voice feature and comparisons to Apple’s Siri.
IBM Watson Healthcare Demo (2018)
- Incident: Watson’s AI failed to provide accurate cancer treatment recommendations during a hospital demo.
- Cause: Training on synthetic rather than real-world data and inadequate scenario testing.
- Impact: Loss of trust in Watson’s capabilities and financial losses for IBM
