Brooke Sutherland, Columnist

Boeing’s Days of Being the Bully Are Over

The leverage it had over suppliers, regulators and even its own rivals is gone. Plus, more industrial insights.

Boeing once threw its weight around. Now, it’s halting production of the 737 Max as the best-selling planes sit idle.

Photographer: David Ryder/Getty Images North America
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Boeing Co. was an aerospace industry bully for years, leveraging its position as the preeminent U.S. commercial-jet maker to squeeze its suppliers, badger its rivals with trade disputes and reportedly lobby for more oversight over the regulatory review of its own planes. Two fatal crashes and a global grounding of its best-selling 737 Max jet have upended the power dynamic. With its latest decision to halt production, Boeing’s comeuppance is complete.