From this morning’s Executive Communication Report (to which you should subscribe, because it is useful and free:
Boeing CEO Dave Calhoun will step down at the end of 2024, as part of a shakeup in the wake of the company’s quality problems, CNBC reports. “As you all know, the Alaska Airlines Flight 1282 accident was a watershed moment for Boeing,” Calhoun wrote to employees this morning. “We must continue to respond to this accident with humility and complete transparency. We also must inculcate a total commitment to safety and quality at every level of our company. The eyes of the world are on us, and I know we will come through this moment a better company, building on all the learnings we accumulated as we worked together to rebuild Boeing over the last number of years.” Calhoun took over as CEO from Dennis Mullenberg, ousted in 2019 over his handling of the crashes of two Boeing 737 Max jets.
It wasn’t always this way for this proud company. Behold this “I’d Like to Build the World a Coke“-style commercial from Boeing in happier times, in 1979.
As corporate malfeasance goes, churning out planes with exploding windows pales into insignificance alongside using a phrase like “building on all the learnings we accumulated”.