Boeing CEO Dennis Muilenburg’s corporate Twitter account has lain fallow like an Iowa farm field ever since he took over the top post in mid-2015, but now it’s time for @BoeingCEO to sing out.
Muilenburg, who also serves as Boeing’s chairman and president, will make his Twitter debut on Wednesday with the announcement of the company’s fourth-quarter financial results for 2017 and Boeing’s guidance for business in 2018.
“This new communications approach for our CEO will provide an effective platform for sharing company news and industry insight,” Phil Musser, Boeing senior vice president of communications, said today in a news release. “It also will help us highlight the inspirational, innovative work of our people, and better connect with customers, stakeholders and aerospace enthusiasts — where the conversations are taking place.”
Muilenburg’s Twitter profile touts his background as a former Boeing intern, a “proud Iowan” and an “avid cyclist.” (Let the record show that I’m also a proud Iowa native, but nowhere near as avid on a bicycle.)
The turn to Twitter reflects a trend toward tweeting tech CEOs, ranging from SpaceX’s Elon Musk and United Launch Alliance’s Tory Bruno to Amazon’s Jeff Bezos and T-Mobile’s John Legere.
There’s a school of thought that suggests raising a CEO’s profile on social media raises the company’s profile as well. President Donald Trump’s reliance on Twitter as a direct communication channel is another big data point in the executive tweeting trend.
It doesn’t hurt that Muilenburg and Boeing are expected to share a lot of good news during Wednesday’s tweetstorm and teleconference. Over the past year, Boeing’s share price has doubled, surpassing $340.
In a Seattle Times interview published last week, Muilenburg said Boeing is winding up its workforce reductions, making progress in preparations for a new class of airplane informally known as the 797, and looking forward to a multibillion-dollar boost from recently approved federal tax cuts.
For details that go beyond Twitter’s 280-character limit, you can check Boeing’s website after the conference call at 7:30 a.m. PT Wednesday.
