Boeing vs Hitachi: Founders, CEOs and History
Boeing was founded in 1916 by William E. Boeing, George Conrad Westervelt and is led by Kelly Ortberg. Hitachi was founded in 1910 by Namihei Odaira and is led by Toshiaki Tokunaga.
Company facts
Founders
Boeing
William E. Boeing
The Boeing Company was founded in 1916 by William E. Boeing, a wealthy timber merchant, and George Conrad Westervelt, an US Navy engineer.
George Conrad Westervelt
George Conrad Westervelt occupies an unusual position in aviation history: a co-founder of what became the world's largest aerospace company who departed before the company was officially incorporated and whose subsequent contributions to aviation, while disti…
Hitachi
Namihei Odaira
Hitachi possesses a historic, foundational founding story, rooted in the industrialization of early 20th-century Japan and driven by a nationalist obsession with technological independence.
CEOs and their tenures
Boeing
- William McPherson Allen1945–1968
Chief Executive Officer
As CEO for 16 years, he transitioned Boeing from a purely military bomber manufacturer into the undisputed global leader in commercial jet aviation, launching the 707, 727, 737, and 747.
Source - Thornton Wilson1969–1986
Chief Executive Officer
He saved the company from imminent bankruptcy during the catastrophic 'Boeing Bust' of 1969-1971 by ruthlessly cutting the workforce from 100,000 to 38,000 (the infamous 'Turn Out the Lights' era).
Source - Frank Shrontz1986–1996
Chief Executive Officer
As CEO through the late 1980s and 1990s, he pushed the company toward massive lean manufacturing initiatives and initiated the highly controversial merger with McDonnell Douglas.
Source - Philip M. Condit1996–2003
Chief Executive Officer
An engineer who led the 777 program, became CEO in 1996, completed the McDonnell Douglas merger in 1997 and moved headquarters from Seattle to Chicago in 2001. He resigned in December 2003 amid the tanker procurement scandal.
Source - Harry Stonecipher2003–2005
Chief Executive Officer
The former McDonnell Douglas CEO returned from retirement in December 2003 after Phil Condit resigned over the Air Force tanker-lease scandal. The board forced him out in March 2005 over a relationship with a female executive that broke company policy.
Source - James McNerney2005–2015
Chief Executive Officer
A former 3M chief executive hired in July 2005. He oversaw the 787 Dreamliner's delayed entry into service in 2011, launched the 737 MAX (2011) and 777X (2013), and pushed suppliers and labor hard on cost.
Source - James A. Bell2005–2005
Chief Executive Officer
He strictly enforced capital discipline during the 2008 financial crisis, ensuring Boeing retained the massive liquidity required to fund its commercial and defense pipelines.
Source - Dennis Muilenburg2015–2019
Chief Executive Officer
A Boeing engineer who became CEO in July 2015 and chairman in 2016. He led the company through the Lion Air (2018) and Ethiopian Airlines (2019) 737 MAX crashes and the worldwide grounding, and was fired in December 2019.
Source - Dave Calhoun2020–2024
Chief Executive Officer
A Boeing director and former GE executive who took over in January 2020 after Dennis Muilenburg was fired.
Source - Kelly Ortberg2024–present
President and Chief Executive Officer
Ortberg became Boeing's president and CEO on August 8, 2024, recruited from outside after more than 35 years in aerospace, including running Rockwell Collins as CEO from 2013 through its sale to United Technologies (later RTX).
Source
Hitachi
- Toshiaki Higashihara2016–2022
Former President and Chief Executive Officer
Shifted Hitachi from a sprawling conglomerate toward infrastructure and digital businesses.
Source - Keiji Kojima2022–2025
Executive Chairman (CEO 2022-2025)
Finished much of the portfolio cleanup and handed over a more focused group to Tokunaga.
Source - Toshiaki Tokunaga2025–present
President and Chief Executive Officer
Brings an energy and rail background to the top job as Hitachi Energy and Hitachi Rail drive more of the group's growth.
Source
Timeline: Boeing and Hitachi side by side
1910Hitachi
Founding and First Induction Motor
Namihei Odaira establishes the machinery repair shop that becomes Hitachi, and develops Japan's first 5-horsepower induction motor, establishing the foundation for the company's dominance in electrical engineering.
1916Boeing
Pacific Aero Products Company Incorporated
William Boeing incorporates Pacific Aero Products Co. on July 15, 1916 in Seattle, a month after the B&W seaplane he built with George Conrad Westervelt first flew from Lake Union on June 15.
1917Boeing
Renamed The Boeing Airplane Company; First Military Contract
The company is renamed The Boeing Airplane Company in April 1917 following co-founder George Westervelt's return to active Navy duty, and secures its first meaningful military contract when the U.S. Navy orders the improved Model C floatplane.
1927Boeing
Boeing Air Transport Wins San Francisco-Chicago Airmail Route
Boeing forms Boeing Air Transport and wins the U.S. Post Office airmail contract for the San Francisco to Chicago route, the most commercially valuable domestic airmail route, initiating Boeing's involvement in commercial aviation beyond manufacturing.
1932Hitachi
Expansion into Railway Technology
Hitachi begins manufacturing electric locomotives and rail signaling systems, establishing a deep, institutionalized relationship with the Japanese national railway network that would evolve into the modern Hitachi Rail division.
1933Boeing
Boeing 247 Introduced as the First Modern Airliner
Boeing introduces the Model 247, widely recognized as the world's first modern commercial airliner, featuring all-metal construction, retractable landing gear, a cantilevered wing, and variable-pitch propellers.
1954Boeing
Dash 80 Jet Prototype First Flies
The 367-80, or Dash 80, first flies on July 15, 1954, the company's 38th anniversary. Funded with about $16 million of Boeing's own money, it leads to the KC-135 tanker for the Air Force and the 707 airliner, which enters service with Pan Am in 1958.
1959Hitachi
Entry into Computing and Electronics
Hitachi develops its first electronic computer, the HITAC, marking the company's strategic entry into the information technology sector and laying the groundwork for its future digital systems business.
1969Boeing
Boeing 747 Jumbo Jet Makes First Flight
The 747, the first wide-body jetliner, first flies on February 9, 1969 and enters service with Pan Am in January 1970.
1994Boeing
Boeing 777 First Flight
The Boeing 777, the world's largest twin-engine commercial aircraft and the first airliner designed entirely using computer-aided design tools without physical mock-ups, makes its inaugural flight on June 12, 1994.
1997Boeing
Boeing Merges with McDonnell Douglas
Boeing completes its $13.3 billion acquisition of McDonnell Douglas, creating a single dominant American aerospace and defense company and ending more than two decades of three-way commercial aircraft competition.
2009Boeing
Boeing 787 Dreamliner First Flight
The Boeing 787 Dreamliner, the first commercial aircraft built primarily from carbon-fiber composite materials, makes its first flight on December 15, 2009 more than two years behind its original 2007 schedule following extensive supply chain difficulties with…
2016Hitachi
Toshiaki Higashihara becomes CEO
Toshiaki Higashihara became CEO of Hitachi in 2016. Shifted Hitachi from a sprawling conglomerate toward infrastructure and digital businesses.
2019Boeing
737 MAX Grounded Worldwide Following Two Fatal Crashes
After the Lion Air Flight 610 crash in October 2018 and the Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 crash in March 2019, which killed 346 people, regulators ground the 737 MAX worldwide.
2020Hitachi
Acquisition of ABB's Power Grids Business
Hitachi executes the $11 billion acquisition of ABB's Power Grids business, renaming it Hitachi Energy and instantly establishing the company as the global leader in HVDC transmission and grid infrastructure.
2021Hitachi
Acquisition of GlobalLogic
The company acquires the global digital engineering firm GlobalLogic for $9.6 billion, instantly establishing Hitachi as a top-tier provider of advanced software and product design services for the automotive and telecommunications sectors.
2022Boeing
Boeing Relocates Corporate Headquarters to Arlington, Virginia
Boeing formally moves its corporate headquarters from Chicago, Illinois, to Arlington, Virginia, placing its senior executive team adjacent to the Pentagon and within close proximity to Congress and the regulatory agencies that govern both its defense and comm…
2022Hitachi
Hitachi Construction Machinery Stake Sale
Hitachi sold a controlling stake in Hitachi Construction Machinery to Itochu and Japan Industrial Partners, part of its exit from cyclical listed subsidiaries.
2024Boeing
Door-Plug Blowout, Machinists Strike, and Leadership Transition
Alaska Airlines Flight 1282 experiences a door-plug blowout at 16,000 feet on January 5, triggering a FAA production cap on 737 MAX and a congressional investigation into Boeing's quality management.
2024Hitachi
Acquired Thales Ground Transportation Systems
Hitachi acquired Thales Ground Transportation Systems. Hitachi Rail completed its ~$1.88 billion (EUR 1.66 billion) acquisition of Thales's Ground Transportation Systems business, its rail signalling division, expanding Hitachi Rail to 51 countries and shiftin…
2025Boeing
F-47 Win, Strike in St. Louis, Spirit Buyback and a Return to Profit
The Air Force selects Boeing's F-47 as its sixth-generation fighter in March. Boeing sells Jeppesen and other digital units to Thoma Bravo for $10.55 billion, the FAA raises the 737 cap to 42 a month in October, a 102-day strike at St.
2025Hitachi
Toshiaki Tokunaga Becomes CEO
Toshiaki Tokunaga became President and CEO on April 1, 2025, succeeding Keiji Kojima, who became Executive Chairman.
2026Boeing
737-7 Certified, F/A-XX Win and a 737-10 Setback
Backlog reaches a record $715 billion at June 30. The FAA certifies the 737-7 on August 3, then on September 28 holds 737-10 certification over a flight-management software issue. On September 29 the Navy selects Boeing to build the F/A-XX fighter.
2026Hitachi
Record Results and Home Appliance Sale
Hitachi reported record FY2025 profit in April 2026 and agreed to sell 80.1% of its home appliance business to Nojima for about $737 million (¥110 billion).
Acquisitions
Boeing
- Spirit AeroSystems2025$4.7B
- Aurora Flight Sciences2017Undisclosed
- Aviall2006$1.7B
- Jeppesen Sanderson2000$1.5B
- Hughes Electronics (space and communications business)2000$3.8B
- McDonnell Douglas1997$13.3B
Hitachi
- Thales Ground Transportation Systems2024Undisclosed
- GlobalLogic2021Undisclosed
- ABB Power Grids2020Undisclosed
Questions about Boeing vs Hitachi
Who is the CEO of The Boeing Company and Hitachi, Ltd.?
The Boeing Company is led by Kelly Ortberg and Hitachi, Ltd. is led by Toshiaki Tokunaga. Both serve as the top executive responsible for the company's strategy, operations, and financial performance.
When was The Boeing Company founded vs Hitachi, Ltd.?
Hitachi, Ltd. was founded in 1910 — 6 years before The Boeing Company, which was founded in 1916. Hitachi, Ltd.'s longer operating history gives it a deeper track record but also potentially more institutional inertia compared to the younger The Boeing Company.
How many employees does The Boeing Company have compared to Hitachi, Ltd.?
The Boeing Company employs approximately 182,000 people, while Hitachi, Ltd. employs approximately 287,901. Hitachi, Ltd. has the larger workforce at 287,901 employees, compared to The Boeing Company's 182,000. A higher headcount does not necessarily imply greater efficiency — it often reflects differences in business model (e.g., manufacturing vs. software).
Where are The Boeing Company and Hitachi, Ltd. headquartered?
The Boeing Company is headquartered in United States and Hitachi, Ltd. is headquartered in Japan. Their different home markets mean they may face different regulatory frameworks, tax regimes, and currency exposure.
Who founded The Boeing Company and Hitachi, Ltd.?
The Boeing Company was founded by William E. Boeing, George Conrad Westervelt. Hitachi, Ltd. was founded by Namihei Odaira.
Which company has a longer operating history — The Boeing Company or Hitachi, Ltd.?
Hitachi, Ltd. has been operating for approximately 116 years, making it the more established of the two companies. The Boeing Company has been in operation for around 110 years. A longer operating history often signals greater institutional resilience and brand recognition, though it can also mean slower adaptation to new market conditions.
Figures come from each company's filings and the sources linked beside them. Amounts reported in another currency are shown in US dollars at an approximate rate and marked with ~. Back to the Boeing vs Hitachi overview