4. The Lance Armstrong Defence
From Everything Is Fake by BBC Radio 4
April 1, 2026 · 29 min · Season 2 · Episode 4
About this episode
The episode explores the phenomenon of people justifying unethical behavior by citing that others are doing the same, framed through the concept of 'The Lance Armstrong Defence'.
In the early 2000s, a young man in New Jersey was writing thousands of fake university essays for paying students. Around the same time, financial analysts in New York were rating toxic debt as safe. And in Silicon Valley, a new business philosophy was taking hold: fake it till you make it. Jamie Bartlett asks how so many people, in so many different worlds, arrived at the same conclusion at the same time. The answer, he thinks, has a name - The Lance Armstrong Defence. A quiet, creeping logic that says everyone else is doing it so why can't I? Presenter: Jamie Bartlett Series Producer: Tom Pooley Sound Design: Rob Speight Production Coordinator: Neena Abdullah Original music: Coach Conrad Editor: Craig Templeton Smith A Tempo+Talker production for BBC Radio 4.
People in this episode
Host: Jamie Bartlett
Topics covered
- fake university essays
- financial analysts
- toxic debt
- business philosophy
- Lance Armstrong Defence
- ethics
- societal norms
Keywords
- Lance Armstrong Defence
- fake essays
- financial analysts
- toxic debt
- Silicon Valley
- ethics
- business philosophy
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: BBC Radio 4, Tempo+Talker
Places: New Jersey, New York, Silicon Valley
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