I work with these large aerospace primes and see no consistent display of vision, long-term thinking, or integrity among them. I'm not saying these qualities don't exist within their ranks, just that they never become overriding management values. Take a look at the qualifications of Lockheed Martin's CEO or the President of Boeing Defense & Space. Yet, as the article notes, despite being helmed by non-engineers in undoubtedly one of the most technically-demanding sectors in society, these companies are richly rewarded in the public marketplace. Wall Street clearly does not give a shit that these "leaders" don't even truly understand their products.

Pretending that all these companies need to do is Adam Smith harder is crazy. As long as they have $300-$400+ share prices, there is no market incentive for them to not suck.