News/Commentary

‘Get woke, get fired’: Boeing CEO, two senior execs stepping down after recent safety breaches

March 25, 2024 | | Print Article

The CEO of Boeing, Dave Calhoun, and two additional senior Boeing executives have announced they are stepping down, the safety-challenged company confirmed on Monday.

“CEO Dave Calhoun confirmed he was leaving the company in a statement,” NBC News reports. “Stan Deal, the CEO and president of Boeing Commercial Airplanes, has retired effective immediately. Larry Kellner, chair of the company’s board of directors, will not stand for re-election at the next shareholders’ annual meeting. Boeing board member and former Qualcomm CEO Steve Mollenkopf will succeed Kellner.”

According to a statement from Boeing, Calhoun “will continue to lead Boeing through the year to complete the critical work underway to stabilize and position the company for the future.”

“I originally agreed to take on the role of CEO of Boeing at the board’s request, stepping down as board chair in the process, because of the unprecedented circumstances the company was facing at that time,” Calhoun wrote in a letter to employees. “It has been the greatest privilege of my life to serve in both roles and I will only feel the journey has been properly completed when we finish the job that we need to do. We are going to fix what isn’t working, and we are going to get our company back on the track towards recovery and stability.”

As BizPac Review has reported, Boeing has been plagued in recent weeks by a series of shocking safety breaches that have would-be passengers on edge.

According to NBC News, “In recent months, several travelers said, news of issues on Boeing planes has… threatened their ability to walk down the jetway.”

“So they have come up with a plan: avoid flying on Boeing aircraft, even if it means re-booking flights,” the outlet reports.

Leila Amineddoleh is an art lawyer living in Hoboken, New Jersey. She knows the chance of getting hurt on an airplane is “slim,” but she’s not going to tempt fate.

“I just can’t step on that plane,” she said. “Even if the chance of getting hurt on a Boeing flight, even with all these incidents, is slim.”

NBC News notes that the chances are, indeed, quite slim.

“Aviation is the safest form of transportation by far, with significantly fewer fatalities than motor vehicles and trains, and aviation-related deaths and injuries are at nearly all-time lows,” it states.

Even so, NBC News reports, “anxious passengers” are altering their flying routines: “One nervous traveler touches the outside of the airplane while boarding and prays before takeoff. Another brings anti-anxiety medication. A third has been watching YouTube videos narrated by pilots to understand what happens during flights.”

And some, like Amineddoleh, are avoiding Boeing planes altogether.

As for the resignations, many on X approve, pointing to the push in the industry to check off DEI boxes.

“Get woke, get fired,” proclaimed Zerohedge.

Calhoun, meanwhile, is confident that Boeing will be “stable” once again.

“As we begin this period of transition,” he told employees, “I want to assure you, we will remain squarely focused on completing the work we have done together to return our company to stability after the extraordinary challenges of the past five years, with safety and quality at the forefront of everything that we do.”

Melissa Fine
Latest posts by Melissa Fine (see all)

Comment

We have no tolerance for comments containing violence, racism, profanity, vulgarity, doxing, or discourteous behavior. If a comment is spam, instead of replying to it please click the ∨ icon below and to the right of that comment. Thank you for partnering with us to maintain fruitful conversation.

Latest Articles