Americans have always thought big.
Think about the boldness we showed as we flew to the moon. Or read about brave test pilots flying faster than a bullet on the latest jet fighter design. This also includes pictures of chambers of commerce, local politicians, and important people holding shovels and wearing hard hats, with the promise of jobs for everybody.
However, the line between promise and results becomes blurred when reality sets in.
Three recent examples started with such promise of the future, only to crash and burn in front of everybody.
Lion Electric: A Ghost Factory
A couple of years ago, Lion Electric opened a 900,000-square-foot, $130 million plant in Joliet, Ill. The goal? Build 20,000 electric school buses annually while promising 1,400 jobs.
Politicians from across the Midwest and D.C. vied for credit for transitioning school bus fleets from diesel to battery power, part of President Biden’s Clean School Bus Program.
This was a historic event: The Midwest finally had its own version of green energy.
Once orders began to come in, production started. School districts from all over wanted those new, quiet buses. Lion Delivered.
Then, reality hit.
Failure after failure. Power steering failures, electrical malfunctions, sudden stops while driving on busy roads.
An electric bus caught fire in Ontario because of an error code. Regulators entered the picture, followed by the National Highway Safety Administration and the EPA.
Failures across the board led to stalled orders, lost confidence, and then the inevitable layoffs.
Hundreds of jobs were lost by December 2024. This past spring, Lion Electric filed for creditor protection. It was an example of going from “next-gen” to silence.
The state of Illinois froze tax incentives as it auctioned off hundreds of pieces of equipment, from half-assembled buses to industrial lifts.
Once calling it a model for future investment, Illinois Gov JB Pritzker called it a disappointment.
Now, the state-of-the-art manufacturing facility is empty, with prairie reclaiming the site.
Boeing: A Reputation Branded With Fire
For decades, Boeing was one of America’s industrial giants with no need to prove itself.
Boeing launched the 737 MAX in 2011 as an alternative to the fuel-efficient models built by Airbus. The design was modern and sleek, with the goal of keeping Boeing at the top.
With promised cost savings, fast deliveries, and easy transitions for training pilots, orders from airlines lined up.
However, Boeing engineers identified concerns. New software that compensated for the altered design wasn’t highlighted. The MCAS software was new to pilots; not only was it not mentioned in manuals, but pilots also had no training available.
Those concerns bore fruit in 2018 when Lion Air Flight 610, followed by Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302, crashed into the sea, with nearly 350 lives lost.
The one common issue was the MCAS system. It forced the plane’s nose down. Repeatedly.
Boeing executives didn’t acknowledge any warnings and ignored safety concerns. But they weren’t alone. The FAA relied on Boeing’s reports and did nothing.
Boeing’s reputation took a huge hit—think of a flying Ford Pinto—and they lost billions. Leadership was hauled before Congress, and lawsuit after lawsuit became a reality.
All of this should’ve been avoided. The MAX is airborne, but any trust that existed before is gone.
Nikola: A Hot-Aired Truck
Imagine a semi, driving cross-country, powered by hydrogen without emissions. That’s what Nikola rushed out of the gates in 2020.
Slick marketing helped promote the promise, and there were immediate comparisons to Tesla.
Trevor Milton, Nikola’s founder, declared war on diesel on MSNBC.
Before a single truck was built, investors, including GM, pushed Nikola stock to unprecedented heights. The market cap hit $34 billion!
Then, reality hit. In an infamous video, a prototype, appearing to be self-driven, was towed to the top of a hill and released. Gravity did its job, and the truck rolled down the hill. That was the video. The truck had no drivetrain!
The backlash was immediate; GM backed out, and Milton ended up with a charge of securities fraud. Later, engineers examined the hydrogen technology and declared that there was more fantasy involved than actual functionality.
In 2022, Milton was convicted, Nikola’s stock crashed, and their vehicles never saw the light of day.
The company still survives, but in name only. Instead of hydrogen, the company moved to battery-electric platforms while working hard to quell damages.
Nikola is now only seen in YouTube clips.
What’s the Connection?
Grandiose ideas met reality. Lion Electric’s school bus was going to save the planet. Boeing’s MAX would bring air travel into the 21st century without requiring pilot training, and Nikola was going to reinvent trucking while trying to put gas stations out of business.
It doesn’t matter how good the marketing is; reality is stronger. Hope, fairy powder, and unicorn magic don’t create software, fabrication, logistics, or the whole business plan.
John Wooden famously said, “If you don’t have time to do it right, when will you have time to do it over?”
Each company skipped the necessary steps and felt the wrath of reality. That wrath doesn’t just affect CEOs or shareholders; it’s the communities that bought into the promises. Towns prepared for large job opportunities and increased tax bases that never materialized.
Grit Beats Flash Everytime
These examples don’t mean we should stop shooting for the stars, but we should do things the right way.
There’s no big score; we need to learn to stop chasing clean logos and an impressive tagline.
We need to perform due diligence. Look at business models and who is held accountable. People shouldn’t show up on TV; they should be too busy getting it right.
One company wanted to change the world. Another thought was that listening was optional. One never opened a hood.
Each is a case study where the future collapses when those promises are built on hope instead of parts.
We need more bolts and less flair. More torque wrench, less TED talk.
It’s that future that’s worth betting on.
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