I enjoyed this talk from Bill Gurley. He identifies the central failure of the pandemic. Institutions and invidividuals with ego and legacy in mind reached conclusions without evidence, then attacked people who continued asking questions. COVID became so politicized and institutionalized that universities, NIH, scientific journals, and professional societies now have positions and reputations to defend. That makes them poor judges of their conduct. The Proximal Origin paper is a good example. It was rapidly published and publicly promoted by Fauci, even though the evidence was unclear and the authors had privately expressed far more uncertainty than appeared in the paper. We need independent commissions composed of smart people with no stake in the answer. People with Feynman’s independence during the Challenger investigation or David Baltimore’s willingness to raise the furin cleavage site when doing so was deeply unfashionable. One commission should examine the origin of COVID. Others should examine school closures, lockdowns, public-health messaging, and their long-term consequences. HHS/NIH could establish them, but the institutions being examined should not control their membership or access to evidence. Give serious people six months, access to the records, and freedom to follow the evidence. The purpose should be understanding and prevention rather than protecting institutions or settling political scores.