"Moral of the story: even insane-looking problems are sometimes real."

Isn't it relevant to note that this problem was not real? It seems to kind of undermine the point if the author did not know of any insane-looking problem that was actually real, and had to make one up...

No, it really doesn't.

If you're hung up on the fact that the story isn't real, it means you aren't thinking about the moral of the story. You're focusing on the wrong thing despite the fact that the insight is being spoon-fed to you...

Incidentally (though respectfully... really!), this is a textbook example of pedantry, and it's the bane of our profession.

More to the point, fiction often points to truth in ways non-fiction cannot.

It's not insightful if insane problems never actually happen!

It's fine if the author uses a fictional story because it flows better. It not fine if the author uses a fictional story because they can't source a single real one.

I call them misplaced pattern diagnosis. They are real and I see them frequently.

There's no reason to make things up. Just listen to the old car talk shows - you hear one almost every episode.

see emails not going out more than 500 miles story

Link for the lazy: https://www.ibiblio.org/harris/500milemail.html

You have to be deliberately misreading me to get that interpretation. I said fiction could be fine.

Stories can be insightful or not-insightful based on what they teach.

Some kinds of thought patterns are useful to consider even if there is no basis in reality. Some aren't.

This story is in the latter group. If insane problems never happened, then this story would not be insightful.

Like most urban legends it's not only bullshit it has a evil side.

Re read the story, it has a lot of darkness to it.

It also teaches a bad idea. No, more often than not things have simple solutions. Not the highly complicated version here of sending out an employee.

Just get the car serviced.

I've seen and read lots of parables that end with the phrase "moral of the story" when distilling down the core lesson behind the tail for the convenience of the audience. Moreover, the term "story" doesn't necessitate factual content - it's generally used more to convey an entertainment piece of which the content could either be factual or entirely fictional.