[thefactor]

Just allow Musk to do it. Boeing doesn’t have the flexibility and ability to innovate the way SpaceX does. I’m sure they’ll get there eventually by brute force, but Boeing will probably spend a LOT more to get there. And it’ll probably be in the form of our tax dollars.

[Rockingham]

The issue is deeper than that. Like America's car companies did at their height, Boeing turned away from making engineering and quality central concerns in their business process to profit maximization based on zealous cost-cutting, accounting gimmicks, and government favor. By the early 2000s, there was a noticeable decline in the quality, fit and finish, and level of technology in Boeing's airliners. Pilots and passengers both began to notice that Airbus simply made better airliners. Then Boeing's military and space lines began to display major quality and schedule issues.

In contrast, Musk is a very smart, driven oddball who dominates Space-X and has a vision and team that emphasize engineering advances, experimental effort, and robust quality in the final production model. Musk knows that his high wire act requires progress and tends to a damn the cost, get it done frame of mind that is alien to the culture of Boeing and other large American manufacturers. Who knows though, but public embarassment and the marketplace may eventually lead Boeing back to fundamentals. If not, they will soon burn through the advantages of size and reputation.