Boeing vs TotalEnergies: Founders, CEOs and History
Boeing was founded in 1916 by William E. Boeing, George Conrad Westervelt and is led by Kelly Ortberg. TotalEnergies was founded in 1924 by Raymond Poincaré, Ernest Mercier and is led by Patrick Pouyanné.
Company facts
Boeing
- Founded
- 1916
- Headquarters
- Arlington, Virginia
- Current CEO
- Kelly Ortberg
- Employees
- 182,000
TotalEnergies
- Founded
- 1924
- Headquarters
- Paris, France
- Current CEO
- Patrick Pouyanné
- Employees
- 100,000
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…
TotalEnergies
Raymond Poincaré
Raymond Poincaré was President of France during World War I and Prime Minister when his government pushed for a national oil company in 1924.
Ernest Mercier
Ernest Mercier was the industrialist chosen to set up and chair Compagnie Française des Pétroles.
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
TotalEnergies
- Thierry Desmarest1995–2007
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer
Under his leadership, Total more than doubled in size, becoming a dominant global supermajor capable of competing with Exxon and Shell.
Source - Christophe de Margerie2007–2014
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer
He transformed Total into one of the most geographically diverse supermajors before his sudden death in a plane crash in 2014.
Source - Patrick Pouyanné2014–present
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer
CEO since October 2014 and Chairman since December 2015, Pouyanné renamed the company TotalEnergies in 2021, expanded LNG and Integrated Power, and kept returns at the top of the majors (12.6% ROACE in 2025).
Source - Jean-Pierre Sbraire2019–present
Chief Financial Officer
As CFO, he fortified the balance sheet during unprecedented energy market volatility following the geopolitical shocks of 2022.
Source
Timeline: Boeing and TotalEnergies side by side
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.
1924TotalEnergies
Compagnie Francaise des Petroles founded
The French state-backed oil company was created to secure access to petroleum resources and became the predecessor of TotalEnergies.
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.
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.
1954TotalEnergies
Total Brand Created
The company created the Total brand in 1954 to build a retail distribution network.
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.
1995TotalEnergies
Thierry Desmarest becomes CEO
Thierry Desmarest became CEO of TotalEnergies in 1995. Led Total from 1995 to 2007 and engineered the Petrofina and Elf Aquitaine combinations; remained Chairman until 2010.
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.
1999TotalEnergies
Petrofina acquired; Elf Aquitaine follows in 2000
Total combined with Belgium's Petrofina in 1999 and Elf Aquitaine in 2000, operating as TotalFinaElf before reverting to Total in 2003.
2000TotalEnergies
Elf Aquitaine Acquired
Total acquired Elf Aquitaine in 2000, forming TotalFinaElf.
2007TotalEnergies
Christophe de Margerie becomes CEO
Christophe de Margerie became CEO of TotalEnergies in 2007. CEO from 2007 and Chairman from 2010 until his death in a plane accident at Moscow's Vnukovo airport in October 2014.
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…
2011TotalEnergies
Acquired SunPower (majority stake)
TotalEnergies acquired SunPower (majority stake).
2018TotalEnergies
Direct Energie acquired
Total bought French power and gas retailer Direct Energie, the base of its European retail electricity business.
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.
2021TotalEnergies
Total becomes TotalEnergies
The company changed its name to TotalEnergies to reflect a broader multi-energy strategy spanning oil, gas, electricity, renewables, and low-carbon energy.
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…
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.
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.
2025TotalEnergies
2025 results
Revenues from sales of $182.344 billion, adjusted net income of $15.6 billion (down 15%), IFRS net income of $13.127 billion and a €3.40 dividend.
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.
2026TotalEnergies
Mozambique LNG full restart
On January 29, 2026, Patrick Pouyanné and President Daniel Chapo announced the full restart of the roughly $20 billion Mozambique LNG project after force majeure was lifted in November 2025.
2026TotalEnergies
Q2 2026 results
Adjusted net income of $6.0 billion and cash flow of $9.8 billion in the second quarter as higher oil prices tied to the Middle East conflict lifted earnings.
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
TotalEnergies
- Direct Energie2018$1.6B
- Saft Groupe2016Undisclosed
- SunPower (majority stake)2011Undisclosed
- Petrofina and Elf Aquitaine1999Undisclosed
Questions about Boeing vs TotalEnergies
Who is the CEO of The Boeing Company and TotalEnergies SE?
The Boeing Company is led by Kelly Ortberg and TotalEnergies SE is led by Patrick Pouyanné. Both serve as the top executive responsible for the company's strategy, operations, and financial performance.
When was The Boeing Company founded vs TotalEnergies SE?
The Boeing Company was founded in 1916 — 8 years before TotalEnergies SE, which was founded in 1924. The Boeing Company's longer operating history gives it a deeper track record but also potentially more institutional inertia compared to the younger TotalEnergies SE.
How many employees does The Boeing Company have compared to TotalEnergies SE?
The Boeing Company employs approximately 182,000 people, while TotalEnergies SE employs approximately 100,000. The Boeing Company has the larger workforce at 182,000 employees, compared to TotalEnergies SE's 100,000. 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 TotalEnergies SE headquartered?
The Boeing Company is headquartered in United States and TotalEnergies SE is headquartered in France. Their different home markets mean they may face different regulatory frameworks, tax regimes, and currency exposure.
Who founded The Boeing Company and TotalEnergies SE?
The Boeing Company was founded by William E. Boeing, George Conrad Westervelt. TotalEnergies SE was founded by Raymond Poincaré, Ernest Mercier.
Which company has a longer operating history — The Boeing Company or TotalEnergies SE?
The Boeing Company has been operating for approximately 110 years, making it the more established of the two companies. TotalEnergies SE has been in operation for around 102 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 TotalEnergies overview