About this episode

The episode discusses the Sony hack and its implications, featuring insights from former Sony head Michael Lynton.

On the morning of November 24, 2014—just a few days before Thanksgiving—Sony Pictures Entertainment was hacked. It was one of the most damaging business hacks in U.S. history. Some estimates put the cost to Sony at over a hundred million dollars. And when former Sony head Michael Lynton looked at what happened, he came to an uncomfortable conclusion: that it may have been all his fault. In this episode from Revisionist History, Michael tells host Malcolm Gladwell about the time thatgreenlighting a film led to an international incident. Find Revisionist History wherever you get your podcasts. Link: https://lnk.to/WWWRevisionistHistory Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

People in this episode

Host: Malcolm Gladwell

Guest: Michael Lynton

Topics covered

• cybersecurity
• business impact
• film industry
• hacking
• international relations

Keywords

• Sony hack
• Michael Lynton
• Malcolm Gladwell
• Revisionist History
• cyber attack
• business loss
• film greenlighting

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Sony Pictures Entertainment

Books & works: Revisionist History

More episodes of WHAT WENT WRONG

• The Devil Wears Prada (with Jameela Jamil) · April 27, 2026 · 1h 25m
• Taxi Driver · April 20, 2026 · 1h 20m
• Jodie Foster & John Hinckley Jr. (with RedHanded) · April 17, 2026 · 1h 12m
• Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory (1971) · April 13, 2026 · 1h 40m
• James McAvoy on California Schemin' · April 10, 2026 · 39 min
• Lawrence of Arabia · April 6, 2026 · 1h 31m

Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the WHAT WENT WRONG podcast page.