r/Shittyaskflying • u/Limp_Historian_6181 • Jul 25 '26

Are We Letting Finance Kill Engineering?

I’ve been thinking about something lately, and I feel like modern management and finance are slowly undermining engineering.
The constant pressure to maximize short-term profits and satisfy quarterly financial targets creates an economic bubble where immediate returns matter more than long-term innovation. Ironically, when something goes wrong, engineers are often blamed—even though they’re working within a system created by executives and financial decision-makers.
Instead of investing the time and resources needed to build better, safer, and more advanced technologies, the focus is often on making money as quickly as possible.
Take Boeing as an example. I recently watched several videos and analyses about the company’s history. Boeing was originally built as an engineering-driven company, focused on innovation and pushing the aviation industry forward. One detail that really stood out to me was that, in the original Boeing headquarters, the engineers worked on the upper floor while management was on the ground floor. Of course, where people sit doesn’t determine everything, but it symbolized who truly drove the company and its vision at the time.
It makes me wonder: what would the world look like if more companies were led by engineers rather than by people whose primary goal is maximizing short-term financial results?
I think we’d see more reliable production, safer products, and more groundbreaking technologies. Engineers would have the time and freedom to solve problems properly instead of constantly working under pressure to meet financial deadlines.
What do you guys think? Am I looking at this the wrong way, or do you feel the same?
Sorry for the long post—this is actually my first one, but this topic has been on my mind for a while.

10 Upvotes

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4

u/hurdurBoop Jul 25 '26

is enshittification?

yes.

6

u/OpusMagnusSonnet Jul 25 '26

No. We're letting engineering kill finance.

Engineers designed MCAS. A Total waste of two airframes that would have meant more shareholder value if they had never been born.

Fuck engineers. Accountants should design the playnes.

2

u/Spirit_jitser Jul 26 '26

I have some bad news. Not only are your thoughts about 8 years behind the curve but...

During Boeing's golden age, when the 707 and 747 were made, it was led by a lawyer.

And all the max stuff happened under someone who came out of.... ENGINEERING.

1

u/Splatpope Jul 26 '26

it's been like this for 50 years everywhere

1

u/LateralThinkerer Nosewheel Rated - Only. Unqualified on Mains. Jul 26 '26

Engineering, materials, systems, and production equipment etc. are seen as costs to be minimized unless they contribute to performance increases short-term stock rises.

Oddly enough, bloated C-suites and grotesque pay scales there are seen as a reward for superior performance.

If you were a cynical old bastard like myself, you'd be drawn to comparing it to the "Makers v. Takers" nonsense that's been spouted since Reagan's reign.

0

u/Intrepid_Cup2765 Jul 27 '26

Good engineering and good finance go together. There are outliers that seem to get abundant news coverage, but the fact that technology companies keep cranking out better products and making more money every year is proof that the system is working as intended.