Boeing Internal Messages Released - "Designed by Clowns, Supervised by Monkeys"

Boeing released hundreds of internal messages to Congressional investigators and the FAA on January 9, 2020, revealing that employees knew the 737 MAX was unsafe, mocked regulators, and conspired to deceive certification authorities. In one April 2017 exchange, just before the aircraft’s first delivery, an employee wrote: “This airplane is designed by clowns who in turn are supervised by monkeys.”

The messages exposed systematic fraud and contempt for safety. Employees joked about possible flaws in the 737 MAX, discussed plans to resist FAA demands for tougher simulator training requirements (which would cost Boeing money), and celebrated successfully deceiving regulators. One 2018 message stated “I still haven’t been forgiven by God for the covering up I did last year,” indicating employees knew they were concealing safety problems. Another employee admitted in a 2016 message to “Jedi-mind tricking” regulators about MCAS capabilities.

The communications demonstrated that Boeing’s fraud was not the work of a few rogue engineers but a company-wide culture of deception. Employees openly discussed manipulating the FAA, minimizing safety concerns to protect profits, and prioritizing production schedules over airworthiness. The messages were written during the exact period when Boeing was certifying the 737 MAX through the FAA’s Organization Designation Authorization program, which allowed Boeing to essentially self-certify its own aircraft.

Senator Richard Blumenthal called the messages “astonishing and appalling” and demanded new Congressional hearings. The FAA claimed the communications raised “no new safety concerns,” a statement that revealed the agency’s continued captured status even after 346 deaths. Boeing characterized the messages as “completely unacceptable,” but no employees faced criminal charges for the admitted fraud. The messages proved that Boeing knew the 737 MAX was dangerous before the first crash and prioritized sales over human life.