I’m not a submarine engineer, but I would have expected that some of the more complex systems would have failed before the pressure vessel. Then again, it seems like they chose a seemingly cost effective design that was apparently susceptible to fatigue. Combine that with a profit motive to dive as many times as possible before retiring the hull and I suppose an implosion was practically inevitable. Oh well.
There’s a 2019 Smithsonian article that describes the founder as a “daredevil inventor,” and quotes him saying that regulations “needlessly prioritized passenger safety over commercial innovation.” Maybe not the right attitude for someone leading a safety-critical endeavor, eh?
Are those the same regulations that are said to be written in blood because people died before such rules were formed? We also have a saying at work - don’t create the need for a new rule with your name on it.