Boeing has been in the spotlight lately. According to Elon Musk, the US plane giant is facing significant staffing challenges due to an excess of non-technical managers.
The head of Tesla and social media platform X believes that part of the reason Boeing has lost $1 billion in cost overruns is its approach to management. There are "too many non-technical managers at Boeing," the billionaire tweeted. Yet, these professionals oversee technical projects despite lacking hands-on experience in programming and software engineering.
"Managers in software must write great software or it's like being a cavalry captain who can't ride a horse!" Musk stated. As for the rest of the company's management, they should handle broader tasks related to strategic planning and be responsible for decision-making.
The social media mogul's rebuke of Boeing came in response to the company's accusations following a round of layoffs at Tesla and problems at the aircraft manufacturer. Musk's comments also addressed a report about Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft. Notably, on May 13, the company launched it after years of preparation.
Earlier, in 2014, NASA awarded Boeing $4.2 billion to develop the Starliner spacecraft. Musk-led company SpaceX also received $2.6 billion to build the spacecraft. Both companies were involved in creating a commercial crew system capable of transporting astronauts to the International Space Station. SpaceX spent just over 50% of the funding but outpaced the plane maker by four years, launching its Crew Dragon spacecraft in 2020.
