John Oliver discusses how Boeing went from being a company known for quality craftsmanship to one synonymous with crashes, mishaps, and “quality escape.” Whatever that means.
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I worked for Boeing for nearly 40 years. Retired in 2019. The problems all started when McDonnell Douglas “merged” with us. The whole business model changed from producing quality products to making more money. Period. Just as depicted in this piece. I saw it with my own eyes and lived it every day. So sad. I loved my company and it was like watching someone you love die from a slow and painful death.
That’s basically everything now. Keep them shareholders happy at all costs…few crashed planes, layoffs, outsourcing to low quality subs. Capitalism has its downsides.
There’s nothing inherently wrong with making more money. But there’s different ways to do it. Building a bigger and better business that builds great products is generally a good thing. Slowly running the business into the ground by solely focusing on maximizing quarterly profit is generally a bad thing.
was that the MD- philosophy? Or just the problem of the biggest company with shareholders pushing for the market share?
@@jackthompson6296 the biggest (red, sore, pus-filled) problem is the system that, not only allows, but encourages to prioritize shareholder value. That system is stock trading.
Agreed. I worked at Boeing at the time as well. It was the beginning of the end.
I'm an engineering student in Seattle, and took a class this quarter that brought in a bunch of Boeing employees as mentors for us. The midterm for the class was a presentation in front of about a dozen Boeing engineers. One group was presenting on fasteners, and got to the topic of torque wrenches, which tell you how tight a bolt is when you tighten it. This dude, standing in front of all these Boeing engineers, says "torque wrenches are important because if the bolt is too tight, then it will put stress on the bolt, and if it's too loose, then you could lose a part... like a door." The reactions from the mentors were priceless.
I'm supporting a medical device company that has critical elements within it that must stay attached. Can't say much more about it, but it's not just airplanes where proper use of fasteners or adhesives matter. Good luck with your studies, and for gosh sake, keep your integrity! Maintain your pride in your work and if that's not rewarded, look for new opportunities.
Video. I want to see a video of that soooo bad.
Yeah, I'm in Pullman and WSU will occasionally host something for Boeing... basically roll out the red carpet for them and either their engineers, marketing team, or business heads come in and act as "mentors". I also find that a test grade dependent on how you perform to a Boeing employee is ridiculous. What I want to know is... "Who the fuck said you Boeing guys were so good?" You know there are other companies out there with good engineers and better management who don't put profits above people. Why are these schools in fucking bed with Boeing anyway, or did they just get short-sighted creatively, and figure they'd pick Boeing cuz they stand out like the Golden Arches in the state of Washington. I guess if you're an aeronautics or aerodynamics major, presenting to Boeing kind of makes sense. Otherwise, I'd tell both Boeing and my school to eff off, and if I'm a good student then I can figure out a better place to have my project peer reviewed. Anyway good luck man... own the industry. Don't let them own you.
you can't have that happen at cruising altitude because the vacuum will stop the door from even being able to open the air pressure literally won't let you pop the door
🤣 OMG, thanks for the bonus laugh!
My dad has worked in airplane manufacturing/repair for over 40 years. Since 2000, he has made all of us fly only on Airbus planes.
I'm curious, what was your dad's opinion on Boeing and what did he discover using his experience of manufacturing and/or repair?
Your dad is stupid. Boeing had a stellar safety record till fairly recently
@@boodesultan12boeing is what hapens when you put mba's in charge of a engineering firm
Oh god. There's pretty much no Airbuses flying in Canada. 😬
@@boodesultan12 Before that time in the 80s and early 90s, he and my mother both worked for Boeing. He did engine repairs, and she manufactured the wings and tail. They both felt safe and secure flying on them then and had nothing but good things to say about working for the company. But when he made us stop in the 2000s, he just said that they no longer valued the workers and were focused more on quantity over the quality of the planes. He never told me more than that.
Worked at Boeing briefly for an internship. A reason I did not return was almost every employee saying “if you care about your career do not work here”. lol
I mean they were jealous, of course they would say that
@@alexspataJealous of working in a shithole?😂
@@alexspata the employees who work at Boeing are jealous?
@@alexspata Wouldn't they lure you into staying instead, slick?
@@Onigirli no, they don't want you to take their jobs 😂 of course they would say that
"Started by the spirit of innovation, killed by greed." is pretty much a tagline for our modern society.
Lobbyists and shareholders should be outlawed.
@@Tustin2121so should diversity hiring which lowers quality and safety
It's also the tagline for today's Republican party.
For real. The best didn't become the standard the cheapest and most profitable did.
@@juliat4908 we see what diversity hiring did to south africa😂
Whats f*cking crazy is that a Boeing whistleblower was found dead inside his car with a self inflicted gun wound just yesterday..
“Self inflicted “….
@@cheebalu74 move along citizen.
Boeing is learning from Russia 😂
In Russia, they fall out of tall buildings @@LexlutherVII
this guy committed suicide just like Jeffrey Epstein did. the difference is, this was a good hard working man who never hurt anybody. Epstein was a sex trafficking AH. the public is going to care a lot more about him. there must be a full and impartial investigation into this "suicide".@@cheebalu74
The amount of footage from “Downfall: The Case Against Boeing” just shows how definitive it is on Boeing’s issues. Absolute masterpiece of a documentary in my opinion. I think everyone watching this episode should watch it
Added to my Netflix list.
Boeing is the sound it makes when the door springs off.
More like Booming
That is a very good idea. If Family Guy or other entertainment doesn't use that idea, I should.
"The employees feared retaliation for raising safety related concerns." -> Boeing whisteblower was just found dead today. I wonder if John needs to do a follow up video.
This.
Definitely needs a follow up, with an honorary mention of Gary Webb.
Gary Webb, and perhaps Karen Silkwood. @@charliekauffmansgirl4165
Yes!
No. I'm so tired of the Internet being overrun with baseless conspiracy theories. You're insinuating that he was killed deliberately. An accusation like that demands serious evidence, and there isn't any. Until that changes, it's irresponsible to float things like this.
I feel like "We went to business school. Get on our plane!" aptly encapsulates not just the enshittification of aircraft, but also the enshittification of pretty much everything from dating apps to video games, to taxis, to hotels, to movies, and beyond.
so F*ckin true!!!
Wow. Enshittification. What a word
The number one thing they teach in business schools is “A company’s primary responsibility is to its shareholders” This is where that teaching has gotten us
With enshittification comes affordability, and despite people's complaints, we like that. Without enshittification, a basic TV would cost about $1,500 instead of $300. What we need to do is re-establish our priorities and demand certain safety-sensitive industries back out of that enshittification model. But how?
@@beenaplumber8379...nah. This is just bullshit, through-and-through. 1. The kind of "enshittification" we're talking about here primarily passes savings onto shareholders, _NOT_ customers. In fact, it's often directly at the expense of customers. Raising prices more than necessary in response to inflation and supply-chain complications; maintaining the same prices on certain products while trying to sneakily use cheaper, lower-quality materials; etc. 2. There is a difference between making processes more efficient, and seeing which genuinely detrimental changes you can get away with. The former does often require people with knowledge of organizational principles and operations, that's true. But the point is to leave quality unchanged, or at least within acceptable margins that customers agree to as a compromise for the reduced price. What we're seeing is worsening conditions for no customer benefit. I remember when Guitar Center was bought out by a capital holdings firm. You know what happened? They started aggressively pushing predatory in-store credit cards, and pressuring employees to rope customers in to the program. Do you know what didn't happen? Reduced prices. This is the kind of shit we're talking about. You can always choose to end your relationship with a favorite company and shop somewhere else, but there are two issues there: people can't always tell when the quality of materials has gotten worse without independent tests, and this enshittification is becoming more and more pervasive. Many have switched to a different company, only for the new company to undergo similar shifts/takeovers not long after. This has been my partner's experience with skincare products. Frankly, I think you just don't know what you're talking about here, and feel some odd need to defend the head assholes in charge. Perhaps "something something STICKING TO THE PRINCIPLES OF UNREGULATED MARKETS something something".
As I was watching this, the Boeing CEO stepped down 😂🎉
Was it off of a cliff or into a cell? If not, no justice.
Stepping down at end of 2024, so not really until he gets his bonus.
@@kjj26k lmaooo
JAIL TIME for the entire management chain on 737 MAX. Or nothing changes.
Stepping down is not good enough, they should be in prison with the FAA people who looked the other way, on the 737 MAX and the 787 Dream 🤬🤬😡😠👎👎👎liners!!
“New Business Daddy is so mad at us, all the time!” That might have made me laugh harder than anything else
Same
My uncle is an engineer at Boeing. I remember, about a decade ago, having a conversation with him about how the old board, who were mostly other engineers, were all gone. They were replaced by the usual corporate types who didn’t seem to understand that you can’t cut corners in aviation.
You shouldn't cut corners in anything or any product. Period.
Ummm otay... Lets review. Engineering is the practice of creating a solution that addresses a challenge with minimal resources. It has ALWAYS been the core principle of engineering. Always dealing with constraints. Based on your tribalistic view... we should forge one single billet and whittle a plane out of it... you know because "cutting corners" is dumb. Oh and lets be VERY CLEAR. Cutting corners literally saves lives. Failure to chamfer or radius structures creates stress risers that really enjoy sudden and catastrophic failures well below the materials yield strength.
@@Katchi_ok, but safety regulations and OSHA exist for a reason
You *can* cut corners. But sooner or later, the front *will* fall off.
@@Katchi_ Are you purposely being obtuse or do you honestly think that Boeing's engineers that built a reputation of excellence and well-crafted jets over several decades of existence somehow became better when a bunch of bean counters shifted their priorities to the bottom line? If that were the case, there would be no change and these recent horrible incidents wouldn't have happened. Using a software patch to "correct" a design flaw is insane.
I worked at Boeing as an Aerospace Engineer on the 787 program and was retaliated against when I disclosed to the FAA that a flight critical component didn't meet the quality and structural integrity requirements.
sorry that you had to work for the bloodsucking greedy leeches that only care about money. It's a theme in our modern kleptocracy.
Thank you for reporting it. For my and my families safety I am incredibly grateful. It's absolutely awful that they retaliated against you.
Thank you for standing up for the safety of travelers.
Morals are a bitch!
Retaliated how? What were the consequences?
I had a great uncle that worked for McDonnell-Douglas (now BOEING) until he retired in the 1980/90’s. He is long passed away. He would not fly, even though he could do so for free, sighting he saw what happened on the assembly line. He would drive back to Saskatchewan, Canada from Seattle. More than 1200miles (1800km).
That CEO's statement of a "quality escape" reminds me of the parody interview of a shipbuilder saying that normally ship's fronts don't fall off.
Clark and Dawe - "the front fell off". Actually a parody interview with a politician after that really happened. Apparently not much of an exaggeration of the real interview .
So what I'm understanding is.... Boeing stopped being Boeing, and became McDonell Douglas with a Boeing halloween costume. RIP Boeing 1916-1997
McDonnell Douglas: "we bought Boeing with their money"
Nick Olliver is crying and he begs to differ! He said Airbus is equally bad as Boeing 737max
@@sonneh86 😂 There is definitely a deeper story there. It’s like someone at McDonell Douglas infiltrated Boeing and convinced them to buy the company, and then commenced an internal takeover.
It's like weekend at Bernie's 😂😂
@@alvinloh9068 That may be so, but the facts would appear to differ. So how many times have Airbuses been grounded in the past few years?
My dad has a degree in chemistry and worked as a manager. He always said: "It is much easier to teach an engineer some accounting than to teach an MBA science."
Every plumber: That's stock manipulation! 👍
My dad has the same background and always said the same thing. He was very annoyed with me going for that economics major 😅
MBAs are great at ruining absolutely everything they come in contact with.
Yeah, but then the engineers might figure out how little they're being paid. Godforbid, might even go on a strike. Or ask for equity!
Funnily enough after flying Delta multiple years I can see that Like engineering wise they don’t fix plane issues😂
"The employees feared retaliation for raising safety related concerns" John Barnett: I WONDER WHY
Xerox also dived when the corporate office left Rochester NY manufacturing to relocate in upscale Connecticut. There was a medieval poem lamenting ' the Lord and his Lady no longer join us in the great hall, but take their dinners in private alone". It's one of the saddest and truest statements of what happens when management leaves the ordinary workers
Boeing: The best Airbus ad.
Until Boeing folds & they have the monopoly, dats capitalism... 🤷♂
lol
@@greggasiorowski1326- Until? No no, monopolies are the natural resting state of unregulated capitalism. That capitalism must involve competition is a myth.
@@Tustin2121 Did I say it wasn't? its a progression or rather digression.
@@greggasiorowski1326I think both you guys made the same statement that competition thrives capitalism so if only a few or one companies controll the entire market you cannot speak of capitalism
As an Aerospace Engineer, I can tell you that John's description of the 737 Max design issues and subsequent MCAS problems were spot on, technically accurate, and presented in a language that is easily understood by non technical individuals. Now why can't actual journalists and media outlets do the same?
Because they tow the corporate line and are beholden to them. And they care more about getting paid than having integrity.
Because John Olivier & team are real journalists disguised as comedians, while incompetent morons are pretending to be actual journalists.
He missed the quality issue with snowman holes in the fuselage beams on the NG (Al Jazeera made "On a wing and a prayer" about it), and did not clarify that the "fixed" MAX still has stab trim cutoff switches wired differently than the NG, making recovery from runaway trim much harder. Basically, the second MAX crash happened because the pilots could not move the stab trim wheel with their hands while trying to pull up.
Because almost the entirety of the Fourth Estate has been purchased by a few monopolists who are themselves 100% concerned with shareholder wealth, manipulating public opinion to sell their preferred politicians, and pushing citizens to overspend on consumer goods they don't need due to FoMO. John Oliver is a rare exception and it is extremely telling that the only way to get real critical-thinking based coverage of serious issues is to do so under the guise of a comedy show.
These problems were extensively described in the media only two years ago, after the two crashes. Why do all the same media start this story as if this is the first hick up. Only in redactional pieces they start bringing up the already known issue of corporate culture. The story of this accident should have been: Corporate culture in Boeing still not turned around, despite the two crashes years ago.
Are "LAST WEEK TONIGHT" episodes eligible for national EMMY AWARDs for JOURNALISM? They certainly should be. THANKS, John Oliver and Everyone involved with the production of these brilliant (and witty!) masterpieces of JOURNALISM.
Those awards should go to the journalism actually uncovering all the information this episode mentions
ye what you are seeing in last week tonight is basically a curation/summary of available information with a comedic twist.
Last Week Tonight has won 28 emmys! They're luckily getting recognition :)
the skit at the end was hilarious. The one guy stealing all the missing bolts for his bolt addiction is genius
Rose Byrne was not paid enough for this role.
@@raineob4996thought it was Rose Byrne. Has come a long way since Two Hands.
RB is one of the lucky few who get more attractive in middle age. And a ringer on the American accent!
Learning Kayak let's you exclude planes from your flight plan was the best part of this whole piece. Goodbye, Boeing.
Momondo too
Google flights wont exclude planes but does show the aircraft model on a flight and I use that to make decisions.
I guarantee that when an airline changes your flight (for whatever reason,) they're not going to follow your Kayak plane model inputs.
Then you get to your flight and turns out it's delayed, but not to worry! They have another plane coming in that'll replace it to take you to your destination! Just please don't ask what type of plane it is.
@zqxzqxzqx1 just fly spirit or Frontier, sure the seats are worse and you don't get the bells and whistles. But they are both all airbus and you won't be risking your life
How come in America none of these CEO's ever goes to prison? Everyone gets outraged but nothing ever happens to these guys.
Because in America the official definition of corruption is so narrow and easy to bypass that it might as well be legal. Every one of these murderous MBA SOBs has friends in high places and it helps a lot
Things do happen to them! Dennis Muilenberg left with a 62 m$ package!
Because Republicans want more deregulation. Remember, that the FAA let Boeing do self inspection/sign-off on it's manufacturing process... because.... big government is the root of all evil!!!! The FAA didn't even know what MCAS was for a while after the first MCAS crash.
I think it's cuz they can hide behind the company if it's an LLC (limited liability company). And most corporations are. So if their lawyers are good they can avoid liability for knowingly taking actions that kill people.
Boeing, 4th biggest Sleepy Joe campaign donator 2020/2024. Explained?
"We went to Business school, get on our plane!" Wow that was scarily accurate.
“Face down ass up” killed me lmaooo
While I was in the middle of watching this video, I saw a BBC report about the mysterious death of a Boeing whistleblower. Goosebumps, literal goosebumps...
Boeing also got angry after Brazilian jet manufacturer EMBRAER, spark concerns over Booeng outdated equipment and poor support when pilots denounce issues. If you are EMBRAER, well know not by luxury and comfort for your jets but first: safety, you wouldn't hold Boieng hands by any sum. EMBRAER demands 3: pilot, co-pilot and beholder for high-end flight softwares used to make your products even safer. Tends to make it expensive ans Boeing are not interested into high-end flight tech, let alone a third and expensive person to make your flights even better ans safer.
It's true.
Yup. Just heard about it this morning. Looks like the whistle-blower got "Epsteined"!😬
John Barnett was found death from apparently "su/c/de". He was involved in a lawsuit againts the company
John Barnett. Had been with Boeing for over 30 years. Worked at 787 plant in Charleston, SC since 2010. Supposed cause of death: self-inflicted gunshot wound.
Best part was learning you can exclude certain planes on kayak
Some few years ago (I haven't flown in a while), Expedia would also show the aircraft model for the flight you chose.
exactly
Which plane should I exclude now I am taking a flight soon
@@SunnyzPCAnything from Boeing. Airbus’ planes doesn’t seem to have this issue
@@dubspool That's probably partly because 26% of Airbus is publicly owned, the priorities are different. Boeing's problem is the failed business ideology of shareholder value. But being German myself I want to thank Boeing for keeping German jobs at Airbus safe.
What I find insane is that in university when I was getting my aerospace engineering degree, my professors worshipped the Dreamliner. They spoke about it all the time in class. It was one the planes we studied the most (from the manufacturing, to the testing, to the material choices) but they never mentioned any of these problems in all those lectures
When I was studying my electronic engineering degree I shared a lot of lectures with the Aerospace engineering and Avionics folk. Luckily I went to university a few miles from the Airbus factory so any worked examples I got to look at were about the A300 series.
Bro as a person living in Tucson who has done a lot of flying that first joke hit DIFFERENT let me tell you
"Delivering value to shareholders at any and all Human cost" THIS IS OUR WORLD OMG
People say thats satire but i dont think it is ...
I was a higher up in multiple tech companies over the last few years. I can promise you that this is not satire. Some of the shit I heard was so evil that it has changed me forever.
I hate it here. Abhorrent world. Edit: thanks "spellcheck".
Close Wall st. Eat the Rich
@@ilenastarbreeze4978 great satire is just using reality against you to make you laugh
I hope this segment absolutely tanks Boeing's share price.
Why? Did you bet against it? Cause you totally should have lol
They'll just do another stupid share buyback.
@@abandonedmuse yolo in puts
Let’s get a world wide grassroots short sell on it like PE had tried with GME
The only thing that would tank Boeing is if the EU or other nations ban Boeing from it's airspace and landing at any of its airports. That would be a huge lost, leaving airlines only with Airbus. But if Airbus is the only company in the game the quality could go down too.
This was the best description of the MCAS issue I’ve heard so far. I never realized they added it due to the engine being too big for the plane and until now I couldn’t figure out how it worked
Fuck. Props to the actor who delivered the 'fucking BALLOON' line in the ad. I just varnished my workstation in coffee.GDI... This shit is everywhere....
lmao! My sympathies
This episode came out a week too early, Boeing just murdered a whistleblower!
Proof?
@@turdsofpoop-crappydiarrheabowl whistleblower supposed to speak before court was found dead to some supposedly self inflicted gunshot wound
@@turdsofpoop-crappydiarrheabowlread the news 🙃
@@turdsofpoop-crappydiarrheabowl John Barnett was found dead in a truck with a handgun, with police saying he had a gnshot wound to the head that "appeared to be self-inflicted". He was actively involved in a lawsuit with boeing over "retaliation over whistleblowing". People familiar with him said that he was "looking forward to his day in court" and that "there's no way he took his life--this needs to be investigated." Major news sites have covered this--it isn't some fringe topic. While there is currently not conclusive proof, this is all *very* suspicious.
@@YumYumPanda the news says he shot himself
"When a door closes, another one opens." -Boeing
Boeing managemetn is followign an open-door policy.
Stop 😭😂
More like: when a door closes, the same one opens.
When a door closes it can later become a large window.
When the door to safety concerns closes the door door marked Exit your ired OPENS
As an aside, lovely to Roy Wood Jr on screen again. Missing him from The Daily Show, glad to see he's still getting late-night gigs
DEEPLY agree about shoebills...
For every Boeing whistleblower and employee who said something- thank you! You have saved so many lives.
One of Boeing's whistleblowers apparently died in mysterious circumstances. Jesus.
@@LesPaul2006yea Boeing is a military contractor btw
Thanks to Kayak for saving lives by allowing us to never fly on Boeing planes.
@@wazup3333billions of dollars at stake in both the military an civilian market. They should make a movie about corporate hitmen and Boeing
@@Kelly-ju1kw the best thing we can do to spam our senators and the doj with well written emails to use their influence to reregulate the aerospace industry, and use their influence to influence to doj and FBI to investigate Boeings executives. Here's a sample Dear Senator, I am writing to urgently request your office's intervention in launching thorough investigations into Boeing and its executives, highlighting the imperative nature of holding these individuals accountable for their actions. Recent events have vividly underscored the dire need for transparency and accountability within the upper echelons of the company. The aerospace industry plays an indispensable role in ensuring the safety and security of millions of passengers globally. It has become glaringly evident, however, that Boeing and its executives have been prioritizing shareholder stock buybacks and maximizing profits over safety concerns, resulting in egregious negligence that has had catastrophic consequences. The repeated instances of negligence, such as those unveiled in the wake of the Boeing 737 MAX crashes, point to a disturbing trend where safety takes a backseat to profit margins. It is unacceptable that corporate interests are allowed to supersede the well-being and safety of passengers and crew members. Furthermore, the circumstances surrounding the alleged suicide of whistleblower John Barnett raise serious questions about the integrity and ethics within Boeing's corporate culture. Mr. Barnett's untimely death occurred before he could finish his testimony, and it strains credulity to accept that he would have committed suicide under such circumstances. The abrupt end to his testimony and the apparent inconsistencies surrounding his death demand a thorough investigation to uncover the truth. Additionally, it is evident that the previous presidential administrations' decisions to deregulate the aerospace industry have been a colossal mistake. Deregulation has created an environment where profit motives often overshadow safety considerations, leading to disastrous outcomes. I urge you to advocate for new congressional laws and regulations that prioritize safety and accountability within the aerospace industry, ensuring that incidents like those involving Boeing are prevented in the future. I implore you not only to take decisive action within Congress but also to utilize your influence to urge appropriate agencies such as the FBI and DOJ to conduct comprehensive investigations into these matters. It is imperative that Boeing executives are held accountable for their decisions and actions, and that justice is served for the victims and their families. Thank you for your attention to this urgent matter. I trust in your commitment to upholding the principles of accountability, transparency, and public safety.
"And you know things are bad when the general public is getting this knowledgeable about specific plane models." Boy does that ever sum up the situation, hahah
Yeah, we shouldn't have to have that level of knowledge about our planes or our rideshare cars either. Almost like capitalism needs government to regulate it.
Just like people still know what a DC-10 is.
Sad when travelers have to do due diligence on planes as an act of self-preservation
@@chrisbarrett8817 yeah! like literal self-preservation! like life or death!
It's not only the Boeing 737MAX 9 that has quality control issues, it is the entire range of all aircraft they produce.
Who would have thought that a comedy segment could be that informative ?!! It is a documentary in its own right ! Best video I've seen so far explaining the whole Boeing situation and how we got here. Well done 👏👏👏
Airbus's next ad: our doors stay put
I've heard people joke to "never trust a business major" but this ain't a joke anymore 😭
There is a general misunderstanding about business majors (or MBA). This was meant for people who already have subject matter expertise, and want to learn the business side. For example I am an engineer, but I’m promoted to management. Or I learned everything about construction at my family’s construction company, and later I need to take the company over. Business degree alone is worthless.
That's why I think MBAs are worthless, because only people with MBAs will hire people with MBAs
@@juzolino one who has any other skills would call themselves a business major first, though. if you're an engineer, you'd call yourself an engineer.
@@juzoli I actually did take a business admin course. It did not even take a month into it before I could boil down what the materials taught into this: "How to do illegal and especially dangerous/evil sh^t and get away with it." That experience with that course taught me the most important thing about wanting to run a good business - i.e. one that cares about its products, employees, and/or customers (though if you care about just one of these, you probably care about _all_ of them): _NEVER_ trust *_ANYONE_* who went to any sort of business school, especially not if business school is the _only_ higher education they got.
It never was.
Wow, as an retired employee of Boeing from the time of the merger I can tell you that everything that was said about profit over safety, quantity over quality is true. During these years employee morale was at its lowest ever. They even were hiring managers from fast food restaurants as managers in the manufacturing side. I’ve been gone for years and had hoped things had improved, guess not.
😆 Nope, they definitely have not… At my old company we used to joke that your test pilots were better at finding integration issues with our engines than we were, but the days of that kind of thoroughness & attention to detail are long gone I’m afraid.
@@jpoeng And the so called FAA quality inspectors that Boeing employed is misleading, they were employees first and trained to be inspectors. So you could have some guy who installed rivets one day end up being an inspector after some training supplies by Boeing themselves. I actually wonder if the inspectors ever saw someone who was from the FAA
@@keithsalter6832 The FAA has confirmed as much when the first MAX 8 went down. They confessed they didn't have the manpower to execute mandatory checks and certification which they allowed the manufacturer to do themselves and then just rubber stamped them.
@@yoeriw7099 True, around the time I left they were starting a new program where the employee doing the work would inspect and buy off his own inspection, with an actual inspector checking say 5 out of a hundred parts. I don’t know if they continued doing this but it wouldn’t surprise me if it’s still done today.
@@keithsalter6832 that sounds on brand. Also that they asked the FAA for dispensation for the MAX 7 because they have a fix in a bit, is just crazy. It's only the engine cowls blowing up right and only when the engine anti-ice is on, so that's not a safety risk at all /s
This is genuinely worthy of jail time for the executives, they know what they're doing
I've been on a tear with this show! Brutal reality!
Quality escape? Reminds me when I worked for a large company and for legal purposes I had to use the phrase "thermal event" instead of "fire" whenever I wrote a report. Like the time we had a thermal event so large it required the attention of the municipal thermal event response team who showed up in their bright red thermal event suppression vehicle.
I hope you didn't get thermal evented from your job
HP?
What a thermal event! 😆 (Hint: "burn!") 😆 🤣
Ah yes, sounds like that classic Ohio Players song. “Thermal Event.” I think it was used as the theme for Hell’s Kitchen if I’m not mistaken…
At my job we can't say mold. We have to say environmental changes😂
My uncle was a quality inspector at Boeing for years. His job was to look at what work had been done, compare it to the blue prints, and write up corrections. He said that management had attempted to get rid of his department for years because they represented an additional cost in the manufacturing process.
Yikes.
Before or after the MD acquisition?
There is no KPI for events that proper quality assurance prevented from happening (no way to measure that). Todays management does not comprehend/care, because when the backlash comes, they are already ramming a different company into the ground. Sad.
That's called "Quality Control" and yes, idiot MBAs are always trying to minimize it.
😢Looks like they succeeded.
Important to note that MCAS is a complete flight control package that makes the entire plane handle more like a 737 NG - if it were a simple anti stall system they could have just turned it off after the first crash, but instead it's a really complex software package that makes the entire plane pretend to fly like a different plane to shortcut training requirements.
Utterly brilliant. Comprehensive, succinct, and professional. More, please.
It’s official: John Oliver has covered Planes, Trains, and Automobiles… literally.
did he ever cover candy?
Now only ships remain
@@JeremyForTheWin depends, does chocolate count?
@@laxmikant8041 YES!!!
The autism holy trinity
I was once a Boeing employee in a safety based role. I was told by my direct leader that we could cut corners because we can "count on the other engineers to have done their job." I pointed out that we were the Boeing engineers counted on to do our jobs. You can see how his attitude would lead to systemic issues.
pretty much everyone in a management role is an idiot who is the son of some guy who used to be important.. its up to us smart asses that no one appreciates and society craps all over to keep this whole thing together.. hopefully ai will replace these smooth brains soon..
Yawn
Jesus, learn to spell.
Unreliable narrator.
@@SpoonfightChecks out to me given what we’re seeing 😂
Damn, well done John... thank you for explaining the situation. Everyone should watch this.
I'm so glad you've done a video about Boeing! They care about profit more than peoples lives. The documentary referenced 'Downfall - the case against Boeing ' is a MUST watch
I worked at Boeing for 32 years, including through the merger. This is spot on.
I got feeling the merger also impacted company structure on more levels😮
Thank you. This show dispenses so much information. good to see it's also accurate.
NASA does business with Boeing and the rest of the war industry.
delete this bro they be out there self inflicting wounds on people
@oddursigurdsson9637 what are you ? An infant ? Self Inflicted wounds are not done by other. What a spectacularly stupid comment.
The last line hits so hard “Delivering value to shareholders at any, and all, human cost.”
NASA does business with Boeing and the rest of the war industry.
We had a lot of docs, nurses and staff quit b/c at Lovelace Hopsital, that became our motto, "building sharevalue" ahead of our patients. New Mexico has this same problem hospitals carting patients to the side of the road for non-payment. Lovelace actually got caught w/ they declared it in their shareholder meeting they dont care about patients... only profit.
thats pretty much the theme for modern society. 99% of people are only here to make the 1% richer at all cost
well thats what you to after business school.
That is essentially what the share market represents, A means by which to influence people against their own best interests in the pursuit of monetary gain.
I find it shocking (but not surprising) that then CEO Dennis Muilenberg walked away with a separation package worth tens of millions instead of standing trial for manslaughter. Ex VW CEO Martin Winterkorn faced criminal charges for the diesel scandal; nobody died because of that.
You might find that an equal number of people die due to the VW emissions cheat. Just not all at once...
Priorities Its so gross
The best single video on this subject I've ever seen.
"We went to business school. Get on our plane" That line knocked me out haha. Is there anything that this shareholder system hasn't destroyed?
Well, profit for shareholders seems to be in tact
I'm currently reading "When McKinsey comes to town" and it's one example after another where companies killed people in the pursuit of bigger profits for shareholders. The shareholder system should be banned worldwide.
@@coltenh581 For now, but their short sightedness will kill that too
@@tristanneal9552 for the foreseeable future. Nothing gets in the way of profit.
Congress needs to take some of the blame for defunding the FAA. Also we need to decouple C level compensation from the stock price. That will fix it for good. Heck that will fix America and curb the rampant greed
I'm on a trip right now. Nothing makes me more encouraged than seeing a John Oliver video on Airplanes, and thinking 'uh oh. This can't be good' and being completely right.
if you fly boeing and something happens, make sure to put all your money on BA puts so you can become a millionaire by the time you land.
This somehow still felt like a light and breezy episode compared to prisons in the US or the Supreme Court taking away abortion rights.
OUCH.
Please tell you are flying on an Airbus plane?
Hope you don't die 🙏
The writers on this show are so good
Rose Byrne absolutely killed that ending skit.
My father is a quality inspector for Boeing. He was fired from his position (and moved to another thanks to the union) for flagging something outside of deviation.
Not all heroes wear capes
Tells you a lot about a company's mindset if they let a man go for the crime of doing their job, huh?
People like your dad cared about a good job to be done and safety, nowadays people don’t have the heart in the job they do.
@@ramongutierrez-gq4cq My father has been in the union for over three decades. He has a pension. He makes over three figures a year. It was a career he took up when he wanted to step away from being an electrician. The next generation that he is training is getting the same starting wages that he started on in the 90's. They have no pension. The retirement and healthcare coverage has been gutted. The pay raises have been whittled down by half. With the military planes being added on last minute Boeing requires overtime and these new employees don't get to take a weekend. My father caught a manager telling a floor worker "You are all replaceable". Boeing is no longer offering career opportunities. There is no "heart" to give in the midst of such disrespect.
@@Dinozzzaur 3 figures a year???? Do you understand math? What was he? A quality inspector who volunteered?
I'm an Aerospace Machinist at a company who makes parts for Boeing among others and I see this kind of thing every day. The parts in your plane were most likely built by someone with a month's experience that the company refused to train to save money.
Exactly this
100%true , I was a machinist at Boeing contractors for 15 years before getting a job at Boeing. The management culture at both are absolutely terrible.
This isn't the problem, according to right wingers it's women and black people boeing hired! 🤣
@@lococomrade3488plain don’t run outta Wichita, less’n your a hog or cattle. People plain runs outta…Stubbsville.
"But line must go up. Line cant go up if we dont cut costs." "We could cut executive salaries..." Shocked picacchu face.
Once you were a chemist on Breaking Bad and now you’re an FAA inspector for Boeing. What range…👍
He was also a lawyer in Suits, and his character's personality in that is an absolutely WILD turnaround from Gale in Breaking Bad 😂
This ends with the greatest commercial I have ever seen - so well done!
The new slogan is “if it’s Boeing, I ain’t going”.
if it ain't airbus, i'll take the land bus
Never Relax Around The MAX
If it ain't Boeing, I ain't going (to make it)
@@tmy8711 You really don't get that rhyming is essential. So are safe planes.
It's a Boeing, how cute! I think I'll bring my parachute.
"At Boeing, we're too big to fail. But we're trying."
"At Boeing, we're too big to fail, but our planes aren't."
"Let's risk your customers lives to make more money!" Some time ago, Boeing arranged an annual rowing competition with a Japanese company that would take place in a rowing eight on a river. Both teams trained long and hard to reach their highest level of performance. When the big day came, both teams were in top shape, but the Japanese won the race by a kilometer. After this defeat, the Boeing team was very affected. Morale was at its lowest point. Top management immediately decided to find out the reason for this crushing defeat. An internal project group made up of experts from various departments across the group was set up to investigate the problem and recommend appropriate remedial action. After lengthy research and analysis, it was found that the Japanese had seven people rowing and one man steering, while the Boeing team had one man rowing and seven steering. After a closed meeting, top management immediately hired a renowned consulting firm to carry out a study on the structure of the team. After several months and considerable expense, the consultants concluded that there were too many people steering and too few rowing. And again, after several conferences and meetings, Boeing management made an uncompromising, clear decision without hesitation. In order to create clear responsibilities, the team structure was radically reorganized. In addition to the rower, there were now four helmsmen, two senior helmsmen and a tax director. A performance evaluation system was also introduced for the rower to increase his motivation. “We need to expand his scope of duties and give him more responsibility.” The group's supervisory board awarded top management an additional bonus for their extraordinary efforts. The next year the Japanese won by two kilometers. Management responded promptly. It fired the rower for poor performance, sold the oars and stopped all investment in the boat. The money saved was paid to top management as a performance bonus. In order to improve the starting position for the next race, the management decided to have the boat certified according to DIN EN ISO 9001.
..."At Boeing, we're too big to fail. But we're trying."... Very trying.
They don't care what they do because the government will just bail them out if they screw up too badly or if something that every other business has to deal with (pandemic, economic crisis) happens to them too, the pattern has been established- top execs can still take lots of money, have no consequences, and stay in business by holding millions of employees' jobs hostage, and the US Gov't has to pay the ransom.
You work with Boeing ?
Great -thanks John --now I have to also look for what plane company and model I am flying on. No stress at all!
This is what happens when the bean counters are in charge.
This happens all over. Businessmen whose only thoughts are about cutting costs, cutting corners, and filling the pockets of shareholders are put in charge of something they know nothing about and end up slowly killing the company.
😭
Not just the company, people too!
That’s 🎉capitalism🎉
Or in this case human beings
Happened to intel aswell they kinda start to see its mistakes but still have some of thlse mba morons
So to summarize: Boeing actually stopped existing in the late 90's and for the past 20 year's we've just had McDonnell Douglas with the Boeing name slapped on it like a sticker... and in that time they've given us McDonnell Douglas quality while trying to ride the previously established quality recognition the Boeing name was know for...
And imagine being proud of that. The amount of flight disaster documentaries that I watched in the 2000s with MD planes but not Boeing unless it was pilot error makes me feel like it was propaganda all along. Imagine that
Are you suggesting that à la survival of the fittest principle the legacy Boeing people were so weak they just got wiped out in favor of the McDD people?
McDonnell Douglas bought Boeing with Boeing's own money, then drove the quality in to the ground, like their planes.
That Boeing square circle swoosh logo was never Boeing's. Its a simplified MDD logo (7:05) that was created for the merger.
@@MM126.90 I googled Boeing to see their logo and instead found articles about parts of an engine falling off and that they hid another feature from pilots that automatically opens the cockpit door when the airpressure drops.
Perfection from start to EPIC Boening Ad finish!
Murdering the whistleblower AFTER he testifies?? That's not even protecting their share value; that's just straight up revenge.
7:04 fun fact: a DC-10 losing a piece on the runway is the reason concorde had its one and only crash ever.
Ain't that ironic?
that dosnt sound like a fun fact.
Quality escape...what would George Carlin say?!
When someone says fun fact and you’re trying to find the fun part.😢
Fun fact?? More like… NON-fun fact!! *slaps knee 😂
The wildest thing about the single-sensor MCAS set up is that the planes have two of those sensors-they just deliberately designed MCAS to use only one of the two sensors without any sort of cross check or fail safe for when the two sensors disagree. Both accident aircraft had the same problem: the sensor MCAS used for those flights gave faulty data that was in disagreement with the plane’s other, correct sensor. The eventual fix was just to have that fail safe + some additional training.
That's the truly damning part. Any other manufacturer (and once upon a time, Boeing itself) would have three redundant systems for a vital piece of tech such as that. It's baffling, and potentially criminal.
What a terrific report! Great job, John 🤜
As a former aerospace engineer I can say John Oliver provided the best explanation of the engineering mistakes made with the Boeing Max 8 that I have seen
Liar.
Have you not seen the Netflix Downfall of Boeing? Because those are all clips from that movie
Imagine caping for fucking *boeings corporate managent* in the comment section of a KZhead video unprovoked.
I work for a ground services company and certain planes/builders worry me. People touching and putting people in planes should be able to stop a flight from safety (they tell us this in training) but then put all the MONEY they might lose on you... So can you actually stop flights; probably not. It's just all about money.
@@Katchi_retard
As a 30 year Boeing employee, retired for 16 years, I'd say this was pretty spot on. On merger day we went to a big 'celebration' where after the speeches we were fed hamburgers. The worst hamburger I've ever had, 30% filler. My nickname for Condit was Phil-the-condom.
That’s was a super hot day in the Puget Sound. I distinctly remember driving home and having to pull over halfway home to puke out that “Merger Burger”
All my family used to fly a lot. Thank you for the good work you and the good old Boeing employees did. I'm so glad my flying days are over. If you can't even do a hamburger you have no business building planes.
wow 30 years at boeing without getting laid off, impressive
I remember those atrocious “merger burgers”. Remember the Phil and Harry bucks?
Thank you for releasing episodes on KZhead. The information you cover on your show is too important to not share to the widest audience possible.
Wow, this just made me realize when ny dad was asking what model of plane my flight to europe was on in 2010 he was expressing a legitimate safety concern. I thought he was being a weird car guy lol
There’s nothing that gets me more irate than workplaces that are horrendously structured and have 3 million Band-Aid solutions instead of fixing the actual problem
Most American businesses
Damn! that's become the American government. Anybody think that the system might be a little broken? Naw, let's just wait until shit starts falling out of the sky.😅
Americas new slogan: get your dang band aids.
Ultimately spending more money over time instead of just properly fixing the problem in the first place. But long term waste doesn’t impact quarterly reports as much as the proper solution would so this is okay. That’s capitalism baby!
I can recommend the book Bullshit Jobs
“Our new business daddy is so mad at us all the time,” got me howling 🤣🤣
Didja cackle, tho? Mebbe... spew summa dat folgers out'cha nose?
Business daddy must be livid at Boeing for absolutely crushing the MAX branding
I love how John gives Zero F's about what his bosses think. It's WB, it was AT&T before him. He's been daring them to cancel him for a long time.
Moist-towlette time, broo.
@@ChA0s_AgeNt I did
It's isn't just the culture at Boeing that needs a major change. Microfocusing on shareholder/corporate profits is the general corporate culture in U.S. companies overall, and will continue until we crack down on the cozy relationships between legislators and large donors of all types.
Thank you, John, for what you do. I apologize for not being able to laugh much at the funny bits, but they did keep me from exploding. A decompression that was actually good for me.
Not telling pilots about MCAS is wild. It's like not knowing your car has lane assist. When your steering wheel starts "correcting" and counter-steering, of course you're going to freak out.
That and if the car's sensors give conflicting information the car just makes an unannounced 90° right turn on the highway. It's insanity.
considering MCAS forces the plane to land as fast as possible when it breaks (read: nosedive into the ground) of course they didn't tell anyone. pilots would've complained the plane was trying to kill them, the crew, and the passengers instead, they can have two planes have the inevitable problem, killing hundreds, then blame the pilots because the system was shrouded in secrecy. isn't unfettered capitalism grand?
@@the_bottomfraggerThis is why I'm glad my car doesn't have lane assist, and if I ever get one that does, first thing I'll do is find out how to turn it off. I've seen zero reasons to trust any kind of auto piloting system in cars with mine or my kids' lives.
@@Lewkis01 FYI Lane assist is not what they just described, it will never fuck up that badly. All it does is gently apply a tiny bit of pressure to the steering to keep you from drifting out of your lane, it will *never* overpower your inputs, the motor that controls it just isn't strong enough to do so
I had one decide to cut the throttle in the middle of passing on a two lane road with oncoming traffic. on multiple occasions Company car, we got rid of it at 40,000 miles after every driver (7) called it the Satan machine
I have a military contractor friend that describes working with Boeing as working with "a bunch of frat bros in charge of millions of dollars of equipment"
I mean, to be fair, that’s often just what engineers are like… 😆😆🤷♂️
Your friend is wrong. It's billions of dollars of equipment XD
I don't think it's their fault; Boeing's managerial negligence is to blame. For example, they've been cutting jobs for years now, and overworking those still there as a result.
Don’t blame stock price chasing and mismanagement on engineers
@@Sbinott0 In my experience, working level folks of all functions were the most focused on the safety & reliability of the products. Upper management, not so much. And it all breaks down when middle management doesn’t have the courage or ability to push back on top level BS or communicate effectively/truthfully in either direction.
This whole piece could be labelled "How Milton Friedman ruins everything."
The lady in the Boeing ad was amazing.
As an Aerospace Quality Engineering Technician, This makes me really grateful to be a part of the Airbus/Pratt and Whitney Supply chain, Yes quality issues happen all the time. HOWEVER, they are always taken very seriously, and we have never been pressured to sweep anything under the rug... but we make engine parts, i have no idea what its like working with teams from software, airframe ect.
It's very sad that we think positively of a company that just...does its job properly. Goes to show how inhuman these people have to be when even someone doing the bare minimum is a saint compared to them.
Thank you for doing that job. Really damn important!!!!!
Hey even Pratt and Whitney made the terrible TF-30 engine. No company makes everything perfectly.
That’s great to hear, I also work in the industry and QE is critical. I hadn’t seen the clip of Dave Calhoun at 1:34, it sounded like he didn’t know how to describe what an escape is. I’d be interested to hear him questioned more about design and quality practices, to see if he understands the details of how these products are made, and where the challenges are. If he can’t, I think that’s disqualifying.
@@donkeyentertainhey if you’re willing, I would love to hear what exactly quality escape is
I worked for Boeing for 5 years from 8/88 to 8/93. I learned a lot. Assembly Machinist, then CNC Machinist. Quality was good. I was laid off for over 3 years before a call-back. I'm glad I had moved on. I never looked back. Corporate greed caused every crash.
Most if not all engineering Desasters are caused by office politics, it's rarely to never the result of qualified personnel forgetting something.
Blood on their hands. There really should be more than 2 companies making planes, if capitalism breeds innovation and loves competition. Turns out unregulated capitalism is monopolistic and dangerous.
I guess this is a bit of Schadenfreude for you. Hopefully things are well on your end after the layoff.
Also a machinist as well. Not for Boeing though , but I'm glad to say that 😂.
It's amazing how many good reputable companies have been destroyed by decisions to play Stock Finance Guy instead of being an actual business
Thank you for uploading
His name was John Barnett!
Former quality control manager John Barnett tried to warn us, last week he was found dead with "self-inflicted wound" the day before his questioning in Charleston. RIP Hero!
On March 9th. Only 2 days after this show aired.
The whole story: he had given a days deposition. He planned on driving back up to his mothers house that evening. Boeing officials told him they wanted to finish the deposition the next day- to not leave. So he went to the hotel and then was found dead of gunshot wound in his car in the hotel parking lot.
@@Elysian777 And he told at least one friend: "If I committed suicide - don't believe it!" There are already vids out about this. With so much money on the line - ~100k for a good hitman is money well spent. Of course - it might be someone inside Boeing. Or, somebody with a lot of money for many shares and no conscience. We're talking hundreds of millions here. Buy - kill - sell. Easy.
illuminati?
MULTIPLE times
Watching this while on a plane is one of the most insane things I’ve done to myself in recent memory
Did you make it? 👀
@@bribri0786 I hope we get a reply. Otherwise... 😞
I hope it was an Airbus
Please let us know if you arrived safely 🫡
@@babsbunny_ Oh they died fo sho
I wasn't afraid of flying on a plane before watching this.
Well done J.O, Amazing segment 👏
And sadly now John Barnett, a former Boeing employee who was a whistleblower sharing concerns about the company’s production standards, was just found dead. Prayers for him and his loved ones 🙏🏾😢
RIP.
They Epsteined him
Hehe deep state strikes again, just like Jeffrey Epstein, John Barnett- Boeing whistleblower did not kill himself 😅😂
He was a whistleblower, seven years ago. He shared his concerns seven years ago to the FAA, who upheld his complaints.
Such a brave man John was & he is happy in heaven yet his loved 1s r grieving like hell💕🙏💕🤲💕