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”.
当波音(Boeing)与麦道(McDonnell Douglas)于1996年12月合并时，谁是赢家似乎一目了然。这家合并后扩大了的美国航空和国防巨头将被称为波音。新公司的总部将设在波音的家乡西雅图。原波音首席执行官菲利普•康迪特(Philip Condit)将领导新公司。原麦道首席执行官哈里•斯通西弗(Harry Stonecipher)的职位则在他之下，担任新公司的总裁兼首席运营官。三分之二的董事会成员将由原波音高管担任。虽然对外宣传是平等的合并，其实不然。作为英国《金融时报》当时的航空记者，我那时发了篇文章，标题是《波音：强颜欢笑但仍是老大》(Boeing the boss despite brave faces)。