'Designed by clowns': Boeing employees ridicule 737 MAX, regulators in internal messages

An employee works near a Boeing 737 Max aircraft at Boeing's 737 Max production facility in Renton, Washington, US December 16, 2019. [REUTERS/Lindsey Wasson/File Photo]

Boeing Co has released hundreds of internal messages that contained harshly critical comments about the development of the 737 MAX, including one that said the plane was “designed by clowns who in turn are supervised by monkeys”.

The messages, disclosed on Thursday, show attempts to duck regulatory scrutiny with employees disparaging the plane, the company, the Federal Aviation Administration and foreign aviation regulators.