Risk expert Robert N. Charette retires

Robert N. Charette, an IEEE Life Senior Member and renowned authority on software engineering risk management, is retiring from his role as a contributing editor for IEEE Spectrum. Over a collaborative partnership spanning more than 20 years with Editor in Chief Harry Goldstein, Charette established himself as a critical voice analyzing why complex systems fail. His retirement marks the end of an era for a writer who dedicated his career to making invisible software systems understandable to the public and practitioners alike.

Charette's influential work began with his seminal 2005 article, 'Why Software Fails.' In 2007, he launched 'The Risk Factor' blog, where he published over 1,750 posts over a span of more than 10 years. This effort culminated in 'Lessons From a Decade of IT Failures,' which earned a Jesse H. Neal Award for Best Infographics in 2016. His other major contributions include the 12-part series and e-book 'The EV Transition Explained,' 'The Doctor Will See Your Electronic Health Record Now,' and 'Automated to Death,' an exploration of automation paradoxes in transportation systems. He also challenged industry dogma with his 2013 piece, 'The STEM Crisis Is a Myth.'

For software developers and systems engineers, Charette’s departure is a reminder of the enduring relevance of his core maxim: 'assumptions made are risks accepted.' His work consistently pushed practitioners to look beyond the code to understand the broader socio-technical risks of cyberphysical systems. As AI and automated systems grow more complex, his warnings about the consequences of software failures remain highly relevant. Charette is stepping away to focus on nature photography—capturing subjects like a female bald eagle born in May 2024 near Lexington Park, Maryland, 65 miles from his home—and writing fiction, including a trilogy titled 'The STEM Murders.'