Boeing CEO Kelly Ortberg says the company’s staff ‘spend more time arguing’ than strategizing about how to beat Airbus: report

CEO Kelly Ortberg called out Boeing’s staff for spending more time “arguing” than strategizing.

Boeing’s CEO Kelly Ortberg has a stern warning for his staff — stop squabbling and get to work.

The Wall Street Journal obtained and verified a recording of Ortberg’s remarks at Boeing’s hourlong town hall meeting on Wednesday.

“We spend more time arguing amongst ourselves than thinking about how we’re going to beat Airbus,” he said at the all-hands meeting, The WSJ reported.

“Everybody is tired of the drumbeat of what’s wrong with Boeing. I’m tired of it and I haven’t been here that long,” Ortberg added.

During the meeting, Ortberg also told staff not to “sit at the water cooler and bitch about people,” per The WSJ’s transcription of the recording.

“Let’s focus on the task at hand,” Ortberg said.

Representatives for Boeing did not respond to a request for comment from B-17 sent outside regular office hours.

Ortberg, who took over as chief of the beleaguered planemaker in August, has had to deal with many problems in his first months at the company, including a massive seven-week worker strike and multibillion-dollar losses.

The WSJ also reported that Ortberg has spoken with President-elect Donald Trump about the impact of potential tariffs on Boeing.

Trump has proposed broad tariffs on imports, including 60% tariffs on goods from China.

Ortberg told staff that a potential trade war with China might impact the company’s plane exports to Chinese airlines.

Boeing has seen its stock price fall about 40% since the start of the year.

The all-hands meeting also came amid a raft of layoffs being rolled out at Boeing.

In October, Boeing said it would cut 10% of its 170,000-strong global workforce. The reduction plan will include 2,199 employees in Washington and another 50 in Oregon, according to the company’s filings.

As part of the cuts, Boeing is laying off more than 400 workers who are part of its professional aerospace labor union. The Seattle Times reported on Friday that 438 members of the Society of Professional Engineering Employees in Aerospace (SPEEA) received pink slips.

In a note to employees on October 11, Ortberg said Boeing was in a “difficult position” and that “restoring our company requires tough decisions.”

But there are some bright spots: the company has resumed production of its 737 Max airplanes, and secured its first order since the strike. Aviation company Avia Solutions Group announced on November 12 that it had placed an order for 80 Boeing 737 Max planes.

In the company’s third-quarterly statement on October 23, Ortberg vowed to make the company “iconic” again.

“It will take time to return Boeing to its former legacy, but with the right focus and culture, we can be an iconic company and aerospace leader once again,” he said.

Representatives for Trump did not respond to B-17’s request for comment.