April 24, 2024

With Interest: The Week in Business: Boeing’s Big Mess and Brexit’s Next Steps

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You’re a busy person, so here’s your quick and breezy catch-up on the latest in tech and business news, plus what to know for the week ahead. Your Monday self will be better for it.


MARCH 10-16

Boeing’s brand-new fleet of 737 Max aircraft was grounded in over 40 countries after a deadly plane crash in Ethiopia last Sunday, the second 737 Max to go down in five months. There’s no hard evidence that the planes have anything wrong with them, but similarities between the two crashes caused widespread concern among aviation officials (and passengers) around the world. Boeing has promised a software fix and new training program for pilots by April, but it may take a lot longer to repair the damage to its reputation and its bottom line, considering the 737 Max was its best-selling jet ever.

Humans were forced to have actual conversations when Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp went dark for few hours on Wednesday. (The platforms, all owned by Facebook, were apparently suffering from a server issue.) But the company may not bounce back quite so fast when federal prosecutors start examining its business deals. Officials are conducting a criminal investigation into partnerships that Facebook struck with other big tech companies, namely, agreements that involved handing over its users’ personal information without their consent. Other signs of turmoil: Two of Facebook’s top executives resigned on Thursday without giving explicit reasons.

Article source: https://www.nytimes.com/2019/03/16/business/the-week-in-business-boeing-brexit-facebook.html?partner=rss&emc=rss

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