---
title: 'Teaching a Rat to Drive a Car Cost $65,000'
source: 'https://youtube.com/watch?v=7J8yWRJNr3g'
video_id: '7J8yWRJNr3g'
date: 2026-07-14
duration_sec: 0
---

# Teaching a Rat to Drive a Car Cost $65,000

> Source: [Teaching a Rat to Drive a Car Cost $65,000](https://youtube.com/watch?v=7J8yWRJNr3g)

## Summary

A company's offhand idea to teach a rat to drive a car led to a $65,000 project that failed, highlighting how casual suggestions can spiral into costly initiatives.

### Key Points

- **The Idea** [00:00] — Someone suggested teaching a rat to drive a car in a meeting.
- **Project Realization** [00:10] — Months later, the speaker discovered the idea was being pursued, with a Slack channel and a hired trainer.
- **Cost and Outcome** [00:20] — Over $65,000 was spent, but the rat was bad at driving.
- **Reflection** [00:30] — The speaker notes the money could have bought a great car, and the rat's poor performance made it not worth it.

### Conclusion

The anecdote illustrates how casual ideas can become expensive, unproductive projects, and the speaker humorously warns others not to repeat the mistake.

## Transcript

You know what would be cool is if we taught a rat to drive a car. And this is all I said in one meeting. Then Scott joins. Six months later, I was like, "Oh, crap. I remember saying this in a meeting, and I'm terrified that someone took this and ran with it." I was like, "Could someone find out where that stands? Did we follow up with that and where it is?" >> Meanwhile, there was a Slack channel where we've hired someone for over 7 months to help us train a rat to drive a car, and we spent over $65,000 on the training of said rat. >> [laughter] >> And and and sucked at driving the car. >> [laughter] >> We spent more money. >> I could have bought a sick ass car for this amount of money, and the rat wasn't even good at driving the car. If he was good that maybe still wouldn't have been even remotely worth it. >> the >> Oh, yeah. Well, maybe. >> I think reopen the Slack channel. >> [laughter] >> Another 65 >> It inspired another video. It inspired another video. But, these are the moments at the beginning we'd have like, "Mark, do you know how much this cost?" And he'd go, "What?" And I'm like, >> Well, Mark, you say this in a room, and that's what happens. >> now that this is out in the open, you're going to have to make the rat video. Or somebody else will. >> Yeah. >> Yeah. Oh, no. I hope someone doesn't make [laughter] that. Hey, Jimmy. I hope Jimmy doesn't spend that money cuz it's really possible to teach a rat to drive [laughter] a car.