When Boeing merged with McDonnell Douglas in December 1996, it seemed clear who the winner was. The enlarged US aerospace and defence giant would be called Boeing. Its headquarters would be in Boeing’s home town of Seattle. Philip Condit, Boeing’s chief executive, would head the merged company. Harry Stonecipher, McDonnell Douglas’s head, would take the more junior role of president and chief operating officer. Two-thirds of the board would be Boeing executives. Billed as a merger of equals, it was anything but. My article, as the FT’s then-aerospace correspondent, was headlined “Boeing the boss despite brave faces”.
當波音(Boeing)與麥道(McDonnell Douglas)於1996年12月合併時，誰是贏家似乎一目瞭然。這家合併後擴大了的美國航空和國防巨擘將被稱爲波音。新公司的總部將設在波音的家鄉西雅圖。原波音執行長菲力普•康迪特(Philip Condit)將領導新公司。原麥道執行長哈里•史東西弗(Harry Stonecipher)的職位則在他之下，擔任新公司的總裁兼首席運營官。三分之二的董事會成員將由原波音高階主管擔任。雖然對外宣傳是平等的合併，其實不然。作爲英國《金融時報》當時的航空記者，我那時發了篇文章，標題是《波音：強顏歡笑但仍是老大》(Boeing the boss despite brave faces)。