Originally Posted by
WHBM
As another transport journalist once wrote "Statements that 'Safety is our First Priority' generally follow an event which shows that it isn't".
I think it is possible that if the management of a US public company really did make safety their
first priority, they would be acting illegally. Management seems to be legally required to put the interests of shareholders first. Of course, safety matters: there are legal obligations, though in some areas large companies treat fines for breach of regulations as part of the cost of doing business. Also, if a product gets a reputation as being unsafe, this could harm business, and so shareholders' interests, as has happened in the case of the Max 8. But to make safety the first priority would be the action of an engineering company, not a business.