A water bomber just collided with someone’s drone over the Los Angeles fires.
For real.
A massive, specially designed CL-415 firefighting aircraft, sent from Quebec to help save lives and homes, is now grounded with a gaping hole in one wing.
It can no longer scoop up 1,600 gallons of ocean water at a time to fight the flames.
Because some bonehead wanted drone footage of the disaster.
In the ultimate show of support, Quebec is now sending two more CL-415s, filled with poutine.*
In Chapter 21 of I Need That, I explain how even great products can have unintended consequences when they reach mass adoption.
Drones are the perfect example:
- Easy to buy
- Simple to fly (I know kids and careless adults with one or more)
- Incredibly capable
- Potentially lethal
Every drone hobbyist knows the rules about emergency situations. The FAA makes them crystal clear:
- Stay away from emergency operations
- Respect temporary flight restrictions
- Keep clear of aircraft
- Monitor local alerts
The penalties are severe:
- Up to 12 months in prison
- Civil penalties up to $75,000
- Federal criminal charges
Yet here we are.
A critical firefighting asset is out of service while homes burn.
What’s scariest is how this represents a bigger pattern — not just with drones. When capable products become widely accessible, even a minute percentage of irresponsible users can create outsized problems.
We’re seeing this with:
- Drones disrupting airports
- E-bikes causing fires and catastrophic crashes
- AI tools spreading misinformation
- Social media amplifying panic
- The internet itself, as a vector for crimes of every scale
Action for today: Look at your product through the lens of MASS adoption. What could go wrong when it reaches boneheads? Sometimes the best innovation is preventing misuse.
What better guardrails does your product need?
Laurier
Product Payoff: The world’s largest drone maker, DJI, now builds “geofencing” into its products to prevent flying in restricted areas. Maybe the most important feature is the one that stops people from doing something stupid — especially to others.
*Kidding about the poutine — the water bombers will arrive empty as far as I know. We Canadians are super nice, but not THAT nice.