✈ Boeing Company — Key Facts
| Full Name | The Boeing Company |
| Stock Listing | NYSE: BA |
| CEO | Kelly Ortberg (since August 2024) |
| Founders | William E. Boeing (1916, Seattle) |
| Top Shareholders | Vanguard (~8%), BlackRock (~7%), State Street (~4%) |
| Headquarters | Arlington, Virginia, USA |
| Revenue (2023) | ~$77.8 billion |
| Key Products | 737, 777, 787 Dreamliner; F-15, F/A-18; Space launch vehicles |
The Boeing Company is one of the world’s largest aerospace and defense manufacturers — a publicly traded company (NYSE: BA) with no single controlling shareholder. The largest institutional investors are Vanguard (~8%), BlackRock (~7%), and State Street (~4%). Boeing has faced an extraordinary series of crises in recent years, including the 737 MAX disasters, pandemic-related supply chain collapse, manufacturing quality failures, and the catastrophic Alaska Airlines door plug blowout in January 2024.
Who Is the Owner of Boeing?
Boeing is a publicly traded company with broadly distributed institutional ownership. No individual or family holds a controlling stake. The top shareholders are passive index-fund giants — Vanguard Group (~8%), BlackRock (~7%), and State Street (~4%) — as well as other institutional investors. The company is governed by a Board of Directors and led by CEO Kelly Ortberg, a veteran aerospace executive who took over in August 2024 during Boeing’s most severe crisis in decades.
Founded by William E. Boeing
The Boeing Company was founded on July 15, 1916, by William E. Boeing in Seattle, Washington, initially as the Pacific Aero Products Company. Boeing went on to dominate commercial aviation, defense contracting, and space exploration — producing legendary aircraft like the B-17 Flying Fortress (WWII), the 747 jumbo jet (which democratized mass air travel), and the 787 Dreamliner. The 1997 merger with McDonnell Douglas created the aerospace behemoth that exists today.
The 737 MAX Crisis and Its Aftermath
Boeing’s most serious modern challenge began with two fatal 737 MAX crashes in 2018–2019 (Lion Air Flight 610 and Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302, killing 346 people total), linked to the MCAS flight control software. The resulting worldwide grounding, regulatory scrutiny, billions in charges, and leadership upheaval severely damaged Boeing’s reputation and finances. Quality scandals continued with the January 2024 Alaska Airlines 737 MAX 9 door plug incident. Boeing has entered guilty pleas on criminal fraud charges and continues a difficult path of manufacturing and cultural reform under CEO Ortberg.
