Odds and Ends: Wait a minute, we’re No. 2

We’re at the Credit Suisse aerospace conference in New York. Occupy Wall Street is demonstrating outside and passed out a flier criticizing defense spending. Boeing is listed as the number 5 defense contractor.

Jim Albaugh, CEO of Boeing Commercial Aircraft, looked at the flier and with his ever-present sense of humor said, “That’s wrong. We’re number 2. Take this out and have them retract this.”

Stay tuned for updates throughout the day.

12 Comments on “Odds and Ends: Wait a minute, we’re No. 2

  1. LOL. The OWS folks are living in such a dream world. Have you ever wondered who and why they get their funding from? It is the 1%ers they are protesting against.

    Albaugh is right, they need to get their facts right…..wait a minute, facts are meaningless to the OWS folks.

  2. Here goes another pointless politics debate, and we’re off to a bad start with some pretty low blows.
    To be honest, I’m not even sure Albaugh’s comment alone warrants its own entry in this blog, Scott. It’s a typical comment that will please those that are on his side anyway (witness the first comment here) and do nothing to start a conversation with those holding a different opinion. I.e. business as usual; in my experience, people from a certain management level upwards are quite good at this, and I don’t find this newsworthy at all. Of course, the average CEO of a Fortune 100 company is going to be much more eloquent and rhetorically versed than the average guy in the street. That in itself doesn’t make opinions held by either side right or wong, though.
    Having said that: A real debate between Albaugh (or any other CEO of a big company – doesn’t have to be aerospace industry) and somebody “from the other side”, where *neither* side just throws cheap shots at the other in order to please their own followers – *that* I would be interested in. Not this sort of tittle-tattle.

      • Well, in that vane, then I think it deserves to be noted, looking at the company’s record over the past fifteen years, that Albaugh couldn’t be more right. I’m sure that many of the OWS protesters would agree that the current iteration of Boeing with it’s relentless failed and otherwise botched programs, consistent hostility to it’s own talent base, and relentless pursuit of political favors, really is “Number 2” 😉

  3. leehamnet :Lighten up. We thought it was a funny comment. Trying to inject some humor here.

    Humor does not always get funny…

  4. I agree with Jim Albaugh. The Boeing Company is effectively number 2 as a defence contractor. And as the CEO of Boeing Commercial Airplanes, he knows too well that they are also number 2 in this other major field of activity. It’s a sad reminder for those out there who still think that Boeing is number one.

    I also agree with Scott Hamilton. It takes a good sense of humour for someone to appreciate another person’s own sense of humour. Especially under the present circumstances where two fundamentally different world views are so directly confronted to each other. Whatever side you are with, it should not prevent you from smiling if it’s funny. And JM’s wit will not prevent him from receiving the message when he faces the demonstrators.

  5. Does anyone really know what the OWS folks are protesting?

    Boeing will not be the #1 US defense contractor until they get another big contract, even though the KC-46A contract potentially could be up to $40B. The do have some aircraft modification, bomb guidance, bunker buster, and missile contracts, and of course the F/A/EA-18 and C-17 contracts. The current #1 US defense contractor is Lockheed/Martin (LM) with the various C-130Js, F-22, F-16, and F-35 contracts, and of course the C-5M modification contracts. The F-22 and F-35 are Gen 5 fighters.

    Should the F-35 program fail or get defunded/cut (which I doubt because it is a huge international program), Boeing is standing in the wings with more F/A-18E/Fs and their proposed F-15SE (both considered Gen 4.5 fighters), some parts are currently in flight testing on a leased USAF F-15E.

    • “Does anyone really know what the OWS folks are protesting?”

      Read the news and you may have an idea.

      Your comment reminds me of something I saw on tv years ago during the LA riots after the aquittal of the cops who beat up Rodney King on video. Some newsmakers found a caucasion family somwhere outside the riot zone, but close enough to knwo something big was happening and their attitude was similar to yours.

  6. While I support the OWS concept, I do find the humour in Mr. Albaugh’s comment.

    Too bad, sad really, that so many people want to twist the intent of Scott’s post here.

  7. Aero Ninja says: “While I support the OWS concept”

    So what exactly is that concept ?

    Come on people, its time to take off your diapers and put the big boy pants on and get real.

    Life isnt fair – make the most of what you have and pursue happiness because in the end we ALL end up as worm food.

    I’m very happy going to work every day for the no. 2 defense contractor as it provides a means for me to house and feed myself and not hold my hand out to others.

  8. I am not twisting Scott’s post here. I do not support the OWS movement/concept. They do have a right to protest, but let’s be real here, they have no idea what they are protesting, or what they are supporting/not supporting. No one has given a clear definition of what a 1%er is. Michael Moore claims he is part of the 99%ers, dispite the fact he has millions upon milloins in the bank. So the OWS crowd is protesting some millionaires and not others? They support some banks and corproations and not others? They protest some government benefits and not others? Some in the OWS crowd has been caught defecating in public and on police cars (NYC), trashing public proprety and parks (BOS, NYC, LA, SF, Oakland, DAL, etc.), raping women and minor girls, including a 14 year old girl in Dallas, organized chaos in Oakland and Portland with “city strikes”, etc. OWS is supported by huge corproations, like Brookfield Office Properties (a $20B + corp.) who let them occupy and trash Zuccotti Park in Lower Manhatten’s Financial District.

    The OWS folks cannot even get their facts straight, I mean the guy or gal who gave out the flier to Albaugh probibly didn’t print it, but they didn’t seem to know it was factually incorrect. What else was incorrect on that flier? Who paid to print them?

    All of this, and more lead most Americans to ask the age old question identified by just 3 letters, WTF?