The GE analogy is far from perfect but I truly believe the decline of 2 industrial greats has a similar origins. That is when new management prioritized profits over everything else. The engineering and production brilliance that the companies history was built on was sacrificed on the alter of stock market dominance.
The trajectory of decline is much further advanced at GE but sadly I see the same path for Boeing. It is a tragedy of management hubris and short sightedness.
With respect to the 787, the programs best days are behind it. Boeing will still make and sell the 787, but it is damaged goods. Every AD, structural limitation, new service life limit etc etc, will cost Boeing as they have to compensate the airlines for an airplane that does not meet its promised in service performance metrics.
Boeing has completely lost the trust of the FAA so the regulator will ride them like a cheap donkey. In service issues that in the past were dealt with in house now get the full stifling government oversight treatment. Each belated admission of an “issue” like the latest one regarding door frame gaps feeds the narrative that Boeing has lost control of production QA.
Airbus is far from perfect, the A320XLR centre fuel tank scam being a good example, but they have seemed to have been able to keep a culture of engineering primacy that has mostly insulated them from the own goal gimme Fu*k ups .like we see at Boeing.
Airlines will now only buy Boeing’s at a steep discount, witness O’Learys smack down of Boeing’s attempt at price discipline on the MAX.
Sadly there is no commercial future for Boeing only fewer sales at smaller and smaller margins while the company is starved of R &D funding because of the costs of reparations for the MAX and 787 costs to airlines