How can organizations recover trust after an AI failure?
Quick Answer: Organizations recover trust through immediate accountability (24-hour response), expectation recalibration (rename "Make Designs" to "First Draft"), and community collaboration (invite critics into beta testing). Figma's Trust Journey shows that decade-long trust equity enables recovery where competitors fail.
Key Characteristics:
- Take personal accountability within 24 hours, identifying root cause rather than deflecting
- Recalibrate expectations through honest naming and capability framing
- Transform critics into collaborators through community involvement
- Trust recovery is ongoing—monitor satisfaction gaps continuously
Real Example:
When Figma's Make Designs feature failed publicly, CEO Dylan Field took personal responsibility immediately, renamed the feature to "First Draft" to set appropriate expectations, and invited users into beta testing. Result: 46% revenue growth and 250% IPO first-day gain, though designer satisfaction remained 13 points below developers.
Last Updated: 1 December 2025