The truly scandalous thing here is this:
> Depth Validating
> As an interim step in the path to classification, we are working with a premier classing agency to validate Titan’s dive test plan. A licensed marine surveyor will witness a successful dive to 4000 meters, inspect the vessel before and after the dive, and provide a Statement of Fact attesting to the completion of the dive test plan.
They clearly did not do this. Simply lowering the thing to the ocean bottom uncrewed would have found this problem. It would not have prevented them from experimenting with crazy designs. It would not have significantly impacted their ability to iterate and move fast. It wouldn't have cost that much to do in the grand scheme of things. I would argue that doing de-risked testing at depth would have expanded their ability to be more radical in their design and overall could have sped up their design iteration. Look at how SpaceX does this, they move fast and break things but make sure that the risk is levered to the reward. The first Falcon rockets did not have commercial payloads at all, nor did the first falcon heavy, Falcon did not fly humans until it was a well-proven rocket. Starship is "failing" constantly but they are doing it in a way which means the impact is minimal and they are learning lots each time.
The really sad part of this is that this probably sets back any innovation in submarine exploration decades. Nobody is going to experiment with carbon composite subs, nobody is going to set out to build a sub with the goal of reducing the per-trip cost by 90% or 99%.
Things, overall, could easily have been so different. Very sad.