Southwest executives understood that they were running on borrowed time with their crew scheduling software. At the very least an alternate or secondary process should have been in place.
The US air traffic control network is a good example. In case of a primary failure, there exist secondary procedures adopted from before air traffic control radar was common.
One of my favorite books is "The Wizard and the Prophet", and it's great to see more and more companies following in Norman Borlaug's footsteps and finding new ways the science/tech fields can serve humanity.
If anyone out there is feeling a bit down about the general state of the tech industry, I highly encourage you to look into jobs in the green energy field. It's an exciting space filled with lots of passionate, mission-driven folks. (And, in case you're wondering, most of us aren't the neurotic, perpetually angry types that dominate the activist space. We're pretty chill people who just want a healthy and affordable planet.)
There are so many things this world needs smart people doing. A slowdown in the tech sector might just be the catalyst.