After countless errors and tragedies with Boeing's planes, the company's CEO finally stood before the United States Senate to answer some necessary questions. Dave Calhoun, Boeing's current CEO, announced earlier this year that he'd be stepping down from his leadership position by the end of 2024. On account of, you know, the many, many Boeing-related plane incidents over the past year.
The Senate had a few timely, relevant questions for Calhoun before his graceful departure. How did it go? Well, I'll link to the full hearing below, which should tell you everything about how great things went for the King of Boeing!
If you don't have nearly two hours to commit, let's talk highlights! The families of some of the Boeing victims were in attendance to watch the hearing. Calhoun kicked us off with a sincere apology. That I'm sure certainly came from the heart and wasn't written down on a piece of paper to be memorized and recited beforehand.
Then, we get into the nitty-gritty. When asked by Senator Blumenthal how many Boeing employees had been fired for "retaliating against whistleblowers," Calhoun first said that was "against Boeing company policy." But that was immediately followed by, "Senator, I don't have that number on the tip of my tongue. But I know it happens."
Calhoun was also cagey about his salary. But it was revealed that in 2023, Calhoun made $32.8 million. Oh, and he's got a cool $45 million golden parachute coming to him when he retires later this year.
Boeing's CEO Answers Questions Regarding Plane Safety And Boeing's Reputation
Boeing, for anyone who needs to be reminded, has had so many prolific, terrifying plane incidents, that it's hard for any one publication to keep track of them all for this year alone. Not to mention the many whistleblowers coming forward about the company's alleged practices.
"Our culture is far from perfect, but we are taking action and making progress. We understand the gravity, and we are committed to moving forward," Calhoun promised.
However, if we go by what Richard Aboulafia of AeroDynamic Consultancy said (per CNN) about Boeing's ability to "change," it raises further concerns.
"Nothing has produced change [at Boeing] except frustration from a bunch of airline customers," Aboulafia said. "I'm not sure what will change as a consequence of this. He [Calhoun] needs to go. He has shown a strong desire to double down on what's bad."
