Elon Musk Blasts Boeing CEO David Calhoun

Elon Musk is taking potshots at Boeing's embattled CEO David Calhoun, accusing him of being a clueless executive who lacks the necessary expertise.

 

Musk (left) took aim at Calhoun's business background, arguing that "the CEO of an aircraft company should know how to design aircraft, not spreadsheets". 

 

As Business Insider pointed out, it's a valid argument. Calhoun has a bachelor's degree in accounting from Virginia Tech University, with no engineering background whatsoever. 

 

And under Calhoun's leadership, Boeing have gone through crisis after crisis, from two 737 Max 8 crashes that resulted in 346 people losing their lives in 2018 and 2019 to an ejected "door plug" that forced another passenger jet to make an emergency landing earlier this year.

 

Not to mention, the many mishaps that keep plaguing the planemaker. Already, a number of whistleblowers have come forward, accusing Boeing of lacking safety standards.

 

It's not only the planes. At the time of this post, Boeing are struggling to return their cursed Starliner spacecraft, which is currently docked at the International Space Station, back to Earth. 

 

NASA announced last week that the date of its return journey has been pushed back indefinitely, following the discovery of helium leaks affecting its thruster system.

 

The two NASA astronauts, Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore – their original stay was scheduled for a week – stuck on Boeing's Starliner spacecraft have an approximate return-by date of July 20. That's forty-five days from its June 05 liftoff, which is how long Starliner can spend docked to the ISS. (Or a maximum of 72 days if using a backup system). 

 

[Note: Boeing and the Elon Musk-funded SpaceX programs are pivotal players in NASA's Commercial Crew Program, which would allow NASA to send astronauts (and cargo) to the ISS without needing to depend on Russia].

 

Meanwhile, SpaceX have already launched a total of ten successful Crew Dragon missions to the ISS over the last five years.

 

In other words, Boeing aren't just struggling greatly with their avionics department, but even their spacecraft project is stumbling badly. 

 

Musk is right to hint that new leadership at Boeing is long overdue. And it didn't come as a surprise that Calhoun is planning to step down at the end of this year, given his abysmal track record. 

 

Boeing urgently need an exec who actually knows his/her way around an aircraft or spacecraft. Musk isn't alone in thinking that Boeing need new leadership with at least some engineering chops. 

 

"To fix Boeing's issues the company needs a strong engineering lead as its head coupled to a governance model which prioritizes safety and quality", Emirates president Tim Clark told CNBC in March, shortly after Calhoun announced his resignation. 

 

A candidates have since turned down Boeing's offer, indicating it's an incredibly unpopular job. And who could blame them, given the sheer scale of the company's troubles?