Breeding Snakes for BountyHow a reward for dead cobras backfired spectacularly.

From the show

When Rewards Backfire

Discover how a well-intentioned plan can create the exact opposite of its intended result. The term 'Cobra Effect' comes from a story about a British colonial government in India that offered a bounty for dead cobras. This incentive led people to breed the snakes for profit. When the bounty was canceled, the now-worthless cobras were released, leading to an even larger snake population. It's a classic example of unintended consequences and a failure to predict human behavior.