Boom also had a board meeting where the board told me to shut the company down. XB-1 hadn’t broken the sound barrier yet. The team deployed in the Mojave desert was exhausted from months of fighting tough technical issues. We had only a few weeks of cash left and no one saw a path forward.
My audit committee chair quit without notice. At first, I was pissed. I told her she would make it look as if we had an accounting scandal when in fact we were squeaky clean.
But eventually, I realized the attrition was a gift. Hard times are a crucible for the truly committed. Boom had acquired some fair-weather friends, on the board and inside the company, and when times got tough, they all ran for the hills.
It was some of Boom‘s darkest days, but we also found out who was really with us. I’m grateful for the team, the board members, and the investors that doubled down with us when the chips were down. We wouldn’t be here without you. Supersonic flight would still be illegal.
Alex Gerko, @paulg, @sama, @reidhoffman, Michael Moritz, @jgebbia, @davidcowan, @avichal, @collison, @ycombinator saved Boom and gave the world a real shot at supersonic passenger flight.
