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☆ CEOs from Mark Zuckerberg to Sundar Pichai explain why companies are making cuts this year
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-27 | by ( Ana Altchek | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

A number of Big Tech companies have laid off staff this year, including Google, Tesla, Apple, and dozens more. Ironically, companies haven't been slowing down on innovation, with many releasing a constant stream of AI updates and product launches. Mark Zuckerberg shared his theory on the first round of industry-wide layoffs in an interview with "Morning Brew Daily" in February. AdvertisementSalesforce CEO and cofounder Mark Benioff also relayed the same sentiment in a letter to employees announcing layoffs in 2023. But for the moment, tech companies don't seem to be slowing down on AI advancement.

Persons: —, Mark Zuckerberg, Jason Citron, Sundar Pichai, Mark Benioff, Zuckerberg, Emily Chang, Wayfair's cofounders, Niraj Shah, Steve Conine, Jobs, Satya Nadella, Arvind Krishna, Drew Houston Organizations: Service, Big Tech, Google, Apple, Business, Bloomberg, ARM, IBM, Dropbox Locations: Zuckerberg's

☆ Boeing Says Added Inspections Are Raising 737 Max Production Quality
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-27 | by ( Niraj Chokshi | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Boeing says it has achieved significant quality improvements in the production of the 737 Max since one of the planes lost a panel in a harrowing flight in January. The incident, on an Alaska Airlines flight, resulted in no major injuries, but it raised fresh concerns about the quality of Boeing’s planes more than five years after two fatal crashes. In response, Boeing announced changes aimed at improving quality and safety, including expanding training, simplifying plans and procedures and reducing defects from suppliers. One of the more important changes Boeing has made since January was requiring that bodies of 737 Max planes pass a more rigorous inspection before being shipped to Renton, near Seattle, for final assembly. The body is made in Wichita, Kan., by Spirit AeroSystems, a supplier that Boeing is expected to soon acquire.

Persons: Elizabeth Lund, Max, Spirit AeroSystems Organizations: Boeing, Alaska Airlines Locations: Renton, Wash, Seattle, Wichita, Kan

☆ Boeing Angers Safety Officials With Disclosures on 737 Max Incident
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-27 | by ( Niraj Chokshi | Mark Walker | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Boeing drew fresh criticism from a federal regulator on Thursday over disclosures about the continuing investigation into a harrowing January flight in which one of the company’s 737 Max planes lost a panel, exposing passengers to howling winds at an altitude of about 16,000 feet. Addressing reporters at a company factory in Renton, Wash., Elizabeth Lund, a Boeing executive, provided new details on Tuesday about how the plane involved in the incident left the plant apparently without four critical bolts that secured the panel, known as a door plug, in place. Boeing said the information was not for release until Thursday morning, under a common kind of agreement that allowed the attending reporters time to process the detailed briefing. But on Thursday, the National Transportation Safety Board rebuked the company for sharing investigative information and speculating about the cause of the incident, saying Boeing had “blatantly violated” the agency’s rules surrounding active investigations. The agency said it would provide details about that violation to the Justice Department, which is investigating the January flight.

Persons: Max, Elizabeth Lund Organizations: Boeing, National Transportation, Justice Department Locations: Renton, Wash

Boeing would use stock instead of cash to buy Spirit AeroSystems, said the two people, who were not authorized to speak publicly about the deal. One added that Boeing would pay more than $4 billion for Spirit, which produces aviation parts, including the body of the Boeing 737 Max, the company’s most popular plane. One of the people familiar with the talks said that the decision to shift to stock from cash was not expected to significantly delay a deal, which could be announced as soon as next week. Based on its stock price on Tuesday, Spirit has a market value of more than $3.6 billion. News that Boeing was proposing to use its stock, rather than cash, to buy Spirit was reported earlier by The Wall Street Journal.

Organizations: Boeing, Max, Wall Street

☆ Are Planes Safe Right Now? How to Understand Flight Disruptions.
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-19 | by ( Niraj Chokshi | Christine Chung | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

No shortage of problems can affect a flight, fueling traveler anxiety and contributing to thousands of daily delays and cancellations around the world. But for all of the frustration and alarm such events cause, it can be difficult to interpret and understand their severity. Here’s how aviation safety experts say travelers should think about disruptions when they occur. Several alarming air travel incidents have made headlines in recent weeks — a sharp plunge toward an ocean, an unnerving wobble that damaged the tail of a plane and an aborted departure after an apparent engine fire. But the most common mishaps and malfunctions, even if hair-raising, are not typically severe, experts said.

Shortly after Boeing’s chief executive, Dave Calhoun, took his seat, families who lost relatives in the 2018 and 2019 crashes of the company’s 737 Max 8 planes called out to him, demanding that he turn around and acknowledge them and the photos of their loved ones. Among those behind Mr. Calhoun were the parents and brother of Samya Rose Stumo, the 24-year-old who was killed in the 2019 Ethiopian Airlines accident and the grandniece of Ralph Nader, the consumer advocate and former presidential candidate. Nearby sat the family of John Barnett, the former Boeing engineer and whistle-blower who died by suicide earlier this year in the midst of a Justice Department criminal investigation into the company. Others held photos of their loved ones lost in the crashes. “I would like to apologize, on behalf of all of our Boeing associates spread throughout the world, past and present, for your losses,” Mr. Calhoun said while facing the families.

Persons: Dave Calhoun, Calhoun, Samya Rose Stumo, Ralph Nader, John Barnett, ” Mr, Calhoun’s Organizations: Boeing, Justice Department, Alaska Airlines Locations: Portland , Ore

☆ Lawmakers to Confront Boeing Chief on Mounting Quality and Safety Issues
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-18 | by ( Mark Walker | Niraj Chokshi | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Senate lawmakers plan to grill Boeing’s chief executive at a hearing on Tuesday about the company’s safety practices in the wake of a harrowing flight in January during which a panel blew out of one of its planes. In a report published hours ahead of the hearing, the Senate’s Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations accused Boeing of mismanaging parts and cutting quality inspections in recent years. Boeing’s chief executive, Dave Calhoun, plans to to express regret over the flight in January and admit to the subcommittee that the company’s culture is “far from perfect,” according to prepared remarks. The hearing, scheduled for 2 p.m., will be Mr. Calhoun’s first appearance before Congress since the January flight, which involved a 737 Max 9 plane. Those crashes, in which 346 people died, led to a 20-month global ban on the plane.

Persons: Dave Calhoun, Calhoun’s, Calhoun Organizations: Investigations

☆ U.S. Investigating ‘Dutch Roll’ That Damaged a Boeing 737 During Flight
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-14 | by ( Remy Tumin | Niraj Chokshi | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The plane, a Boeing 737 Max 8, was flying at an altitude of 34,000 feet from Phoenix to Oakland, Calif., around 8 a.m. Pacific time on May 25 when the flight crew members said they experienced what is known as a Dutch roll, the N.T.S.B. A Dutch roll is “a coupled oscillation” that creates simultaneous side-to-side and rocking motions, producing a figure-8 effect. The phenomenon is believed to have been named by an aeronautical engineer who compared it to a traditional ice skating technique made popular in the Netherlands. If unaddressed, the wobbling can become more exaggerated, creating a dangerous feedback loop. “It’s a weird movement of the airplane, an oscillation that, if not dampened or stopped, could continue to get worse and worse,” said Jeff Guzzetti, a former accident investigator for the F.A.A.

Persons: ”, Jeff Guzzetti, “ Organizations: Southwest Airlines, Federal Aviation Administration, National Transportation Safety Board, Boeing Locations: Phoenix, Oakland, Calif, Netherlands

☆ A Big Decision for Boeing’s Next C.E.O.: Is It Time for a New Plane?
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-10 | by ( Niraj Chokshi | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

More than a decade ago, executives at Boeing made a pivotal decision: To keep up with the company’s main rival, Airbus, they gave up on the idea of developing a new airplane and raced to update the 737, the company’s most popular jet. The jet’s troubles have left Boeing behind Airbus in the global market for single-aisle planes, which it once dominated. Now, Boeing, which is expected to appoint a new chief executive by the end of the year, has to make another critical choice: When should it develop its next brand-new plane? If the company missteps, it could spend billions of dollars and still lose market share to Airbus, which is based in Toulouse, France. Both manufacturers also face a distant but rising threat from China and growing pressure to cut planet-warming emissions.

Organizations: Boeing, Airbus Locations: Toulouse, France, China

☆ Boeing Gives F.A.A. Plan to Address Systemic Quality-Control Issues
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-30 | by ( Mark Walker | Niraj Chokshi | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Boeing’s top executives delivered a plan to improve quality and safety to the Federal Aviation Administration on Thursday, vowing to address systemic issues that have damaged the company’s reputation and put the aircraft manufacturer at the center of several federal investigations. Boeing detailed these and other steps during a three-hour meeting with the F.A.A.’s administrator, Mike Whitaker, where the company submitted a “comprehensive action plan” that the regulator ordered in February. Mr. Whitaker had given Boeing 90 days to develop a plan to make sweeping safety improvements after a midcabin panel known as a door plug blew out of a 737 Max 9 jet flying at about 16,000 feet on Jan. 5. No one was seriously injured during the flight. said in a statement on Thursday that “senior” leaders from the agency would “meet with Boeing weekly to review their performance metrics, progress, and any challenges they’re facing in implementing the changes.”

Persons: ’, Mike Whitaker, Whitaker Organizations: Federal Aviation Administration, Boeing

☆ American Airlines Is Accused of Discrimination in Lawsuit
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-29 | by ( Niraj Chokshi | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Three Black men have accused American Airlines of “blatant race discrimination” over its temporary removal of them and five other men from a Jan. 5 flight from Phoenix to New York, in a federal lawsuit filed on Wednesday. The men said they were seated on a plane at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport when an airline employee went row by row asking them to get off the plane. As they exited, the passengers noticed that all the Black men on the flight, eight in total, appeared to have been removed. An American representative told the men at the time that the complaint had come from a white flight attendant. When one described the removal from the plane as discriminatory, an American employee said, “I agree, I agree,” according to a cellphone recording that was shared with The New York Times.

Persons: “ Organizations: American Airlines, Sky Harbor International, Public Citizen, The New York Times Locations: Phoenix, New York, American

☆ Wayfair to open its first large store, as physical locations make a comeback
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-16 | by ( Gabrielle Fonrouge | In Gabrielle-Fonrouge | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +10 min

Wayfair follows other direct-to-consumer brands that have opened stores, including Warby Parker , Figs , Casper, Glossier and Everlane. In the early 2010s, new store openings largely outpaced closures, until the tide turned in 2017. Jeenah Moon | Bloomberg | Getty ImagesOther privately held direct-to-consumer brands have also expanded into retail stores, including bedding company Brooklinen, furniture store Burrow and apparel brands Everlane and Untuckit. High cost of entryIf direct-to-consumer brands could all open stores and suddenly boost sales and profitability, they'd all be doing it. Courtesy: WayfairSome direct-to-consumer brands have already been burned after they expanded too quickly and demand fell.

Persons: Niraj Shah, Wayfair, Warby Parker, Glossier, They're, Larry Cheng, It's, you'll, Liza Lefkowski, Shah, Coresight, John Mercer, Coresight's, Trina Spear, Spears, King, King of Prussia, Rebecca Fitts, Alvarez, Tolia, Allbirds, Al Drago Organizations: CNBC, Apple iOS, Companies, Walmart, Target, Joss, Discount, TJX, Bloomberg, Getty, Marsal, Washington , D.C Locations: Wilmette , Illinois, Chicago, Casper, Amazon, U.S, Coresight Research's, Burlington, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, King, King of Prussia , Pennsylvania, Georgetown, Washington ,

☆ Boeing Locks Out Firefighters in Contract Dispute, and Biden Weighs In
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-09 | by ( Niraj Chokshi | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Contract negotiations between Boeing and a union representing firefighters at some of the company’s commercial plane factories broke down last week. On Thursday, President Biden called on both sides to return to the negotiating table. The company locked out about 125 workers represented by a chapter of the International Association of Firefighters union on Saturday after failing to reach an agreement on a new contract, said Casey Yeager, the president of the union chapter, I-66. The previous contract expired on March 1, but the firefighters, who work at Boeing’s plants in the Seattle area, continued to work under its provisions. The talks, conducted with the help of a federal mediator, stalled after the firefighters rejected what the company had said was its final offer.

Persons: Biden, Casey Yeager, Yeager, ”, “ Organizations: Boeing, International Association of Firefighters Locations: Seattle

☆ F.A.A. Is Investigating Boeing Over 787 Dreamliner Inspections
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-06 | by ( Mark Walker | Niraj Chokshi | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

The Federal Aviation Administration has opened a new investigation into Boeing after the plane maker told the regulator that it might have skipped required inspections involving the wings of some 787 Dreamliners. In a statement on Monday, the F.A.A. As part of its inquiry, the agency said it was looking into whether employees at the company may have falsified aircraft records. said that Boeing was reinspecting all Dreamliners still in production and that the company needed to create a plan to address aircraft already in service. will take any necessary action — as always — to ensure the safety of the flying public,” the statement said.

Organizations: Federal Aviation Administration, Boeing

☆ Wayfair's losses narrow by more than $100 million after layoffs, even as sales dip
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-02 | by ( Gabrielle Fonrouge | In Gabrielle-Fonrouge | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Wayfair's sales slid during its first fiscal quarter, but the online furniture retailer reduced its losses after cutting 13% of its workforce at the start of the year, the company announced Thursday. The steepest drop off came from Wayfair's international segment, where sales fell nearly 6% to $338 million compared to the year-ago period. The restructuring – the third Wayfair implemented since summer 2022 – was expected to save the company about $280 million, it said previously. During the quarter, Wayfair's active customers grew 2.8% to 22.3 million, slightly ahead of the 22.1 million that analysts had expected, according to StreetAccount. On average, orders were valued at $285 during the quarter, compared to the $275.07 that analysts had expected, according to StreetAccount.

Persons: Wayfair, Niraj Shah, Shah, – Organizations: LSEG

☆ Wayfair is opening its first-ever physical furniture store
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-18 | by ( Parija Bhatnagar | Parija Kavilanz | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

New York CNN —Online furniture and home furnishings seller Wayfair is set to open its first-ever namesake store next month, the company announced Thursday. It will also feature an onsite restaurant called “The Porch,” the company said, taking a page out of Ikea’s store setup. Furniture stores need to always be advertising, Saunders added, because people generally don’t buy furniture very often. This is particularly important in furniture and finishings where people like to see and try out products before buying,” Saunders said. “If this store is successful then it could be the start of wider physical expansion for Wayfair,” Saunders said.

Persons: Joss, ”, Neil Saunders, Saunders, Wayfair, it’s, Niraj Shah, Wayfair “, “ It’s, ” Saunders Organizations: New, New York CNN —, GlobalData Locations: New York, Edens, Wilmette , Illinois

☆ Boeing Defends Safety of 787 Dreamliner After Whistle-Blower’s Claims
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-15 | by ( Mark Walker | Niraj Chokshi | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Boeing sought on Monday to reassure the public of the safety of its 787 Dreamliner plane days before a whistle-blower is scheduled to testify before Congress about his concerns regarding the jet’s structural integrity. The presentation came just under a week after The New York Times reported the allegations by the whistle-blower, Sam Salehpour, who works as a quality engineer at Boeing and is set to testify before a Senate panel on Wednesday. Mr. Salehpour said that sections of the fuselage of the Dreamliner, a wide-body plane that makes extensive use of composite materials, were not properly fastened together and that the plane could suffer structural failure over time as a result. The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating his allegations. Mr. Salehpour’s claims instantly created another public-relations problem for Boeing, which has been facing intense scrutiny over its manufacturing practices after a panel came off a 737 Max during an Alaska Airlines flight in January.

Persons: Sam Salehpour, Salehpour, Salehpour’s Organizations: Boeing, New York Times, Federal Aviation Administration, Alaska Airlines Locations: North Charleston, S.C

☆ Spirit Airlines Will Delay Plane Purchases and Furlough Pilots
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-08 | by ( Niraj Chokshi | More About Niraj Chokshi | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Spirit Airlines said on Monday that it would delay delivery of new Airbus planes and furlough pilots to save money as it seeks to overcome several setbacks, including a blocked merger, engine problems and a lackluster recovery from the pandemic. Spirit and JetBlue gave up an effort to appeal that decision last month. Spirit plans to delay most of the Airbus planes it had expected to receive in 2025 and 2026 by about five years. It also said it expected to furlough about 260 pilots starting on Sept. 1. Those changes will help Spirit, which has lost money in each of the last four years, return to profitability, the company’s chief executive, Ted Christie, said.

Persons: Ted Christie Organizations: Spirit Airlines, Airbus, JetBlue Airways, Spirit, JetBlue

☆ 4 Takeaways About Boeing’s Quality Problems
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-28 | by ( Niraj Chokshi | Sydney Ember | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Boeing has faced intense scrutiny and pressure since a panel blew off a 737 Max 9 shortly after the plane, an Alaska Airlines flight, took off on Jan. 5. The episode raised fresh questions about the quality of the planes the company produces several years after two Max 8 planes crashed, killing nearly 350 people. Interviews with more than two dozen current and former employees reveal longstanding concerns about quality, particularly as pressure increased to keep production going in the company’s factories. Now, Boeing faces an immense challenge as it seeks to make changes that improve the quality of its products and regain its credibility with lawmakers, regulators, airlines and the public. Current and former Boeing employees said that for years it felt as if quality took a back seat to keeping planes moving through its factories.

Persons: Max Organizations: Boeing, Alaska Airlines

In February last year, a new Southwest Airlines Boeing 737 Max plane was on one of its first flights when an automated stabilizing system appeared to malfunction, forcing the pilots to make an emergency landing soon after they took off. Less than two months later, an Alaska Airlines 737 Max plane with eight hours of total flight time was briefly grounded until mechanics resolved a problem with a fire detection system. And in November, an engine on a just-delivered United Airlines 737 Max failed at 37,000 feet. These incidents, which the airlines disclosed to the Federal Aviation Administration, were not widely reported. But since Jan. 5, when a panel on a two-month-old Alaska Airlines 737 Max 9 jet blew off in midair, episodes like these have taken on new resonance, raising further questions about the quality of the planes Boeing is producing.

Persons: Max, ”, Joe Jacobsen Organizations: Southwest Airlines Boeing, Alaska Airlines, United Airlines, Federal Aviation Administration, Max, Boeing Locations: Alaska

☆ Boeing C.E.O. to Step Down in Major Reshuffle at Embattled Plane Maker
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-25 | by ( Sydney Ember | Niraj Chokshi | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Boeing announced Monday that its chief executive, David Calhoun, would step down at the end of 2024 as part of a broad management shake-up, as the aircraft maker grapples with its most significant safety crisis in years. Boeing also announced that its chairman, Larry Kellner, would not stand for re-election. The board elected Steve Mollenkopf, an electrical engineer by training and the former chief executive of Qualcomm, as its new chairman. In that role, he will lead the process of choosing Boeing’s next chief executive. The management overhaul comes less than three months after a panel, known as a door plug, blew off a Boeing Max 9 during an Alaska Airlines flight on Jan. 5.

Persons: David Calhoun, Stan Deal, Stephanie Pope, Larry Kellner, Steve Mollenkopf, Boeing’s Organizations: Boeing, Qualcomm, Boeing Max, Alaska Airlines

☆ United Airlines Faces Closer F.A.A. Scrutiny After Safety Incidents
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-22 | by ( Niraj Chokshi | More About Niraj Chokshi | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The Federal Aviation Administration will scrutinize United Airlines’ operations more closely in coming weeks after a spate of recent safety incidents, the airline told employees in a memo on Friday. “We will begin to see more of an F.A.A. presence in our operation as they begin to review some of our work processes, manuals and facilities,” Sasha Johnson, a vice president of corporate safety at the airline, said in the memo. said in a statement that it “routinely” monitored airline operations. The agency said it “focuses on an airline’s compliance with applicable regulations; ability to identify hazards, assess and mitigate risk; and effectively manage safety.”

Persons: “, ” Sasha Johnson, ” Organizations: Federal Aviation Administration, United Airlines

The Justice Department has begun a criminal investigation into Boeing after a panel on one of the company’s planes blew out on an Alaska Airlines flight in early January, a person familiar with the matter said. to be conducting an investigation,” Alaska Airlines said in a statement. “We are fully cooperating and do not believe we are a target of the investigation.” Boeing had no comment. On Jan. 5, a panel on a Boeing 737 Max 9 jet operated by Alaska Airlines blew out in midair, exposing passengers to the outside air thousands of feet above ground. The panel is known as a “door plug” and is used to cover a gap left by an unneeded exit door.

Persons: ” Organizations: Department, Boeing, Alaska Airlines, ” Boeing, Max, National Transportation Safety Board

Quality concerns and production slowdowns. Boeing is an American institution that has contributed to the country’s place on the global stage. As business reporters at The New York Times, we have for years been covering Boeing and concerns over the quality of the planes it makes. We want to hear from people who work — or have worked — at Boeing or at companies, government agencies or other organizations that deal with Boeing about what the company is doing wrong or right. We will not publish any part of your submission without following up with you again to get your permission.

Organizations: Boeing, The New York Times, Airbus, Alaska Airlines Locations: American

Boeing said on Friday that it was in talks to acquire Spirit AeroSystems, a struggling supplier that the manufacturer spun out nearly two decades ago and that makes the bodies of the 737 Max jet. In reabsorbing Spirit, Boeing would be seeking to rescue and restructure a troubled but important partner that has been battered by years of losses and quality control problems. Spirit’s problems have also at times limited how fast Boeing can produce Max planes, its most popular commercial jet. Bringing Spirit, one of the company’s key suppliers, back in house would be a significant strategic shift for Boeing, which has long relied on outsourcing to make its planes. Experts say the episode could have been catastrophic had it happened at a higher altitude with passengers moving about the cabin.

Organizations: Boeing, Alaska Airlines

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