The case for (and against) mandatory retirement 

Certain roles—including some in the C-suite—have strict age caps. Is this a good thing that promotes workplace safety and productivity? Or is it ageist?

In 2021, plane manufacturer Boeing was dealing with myriad challenges. The COVID-19 pandemic was continuing to disrupt air travel and plane production, and multiple crashes of the company’s best-selling plane, the 737 Max, had landed Boeing in a legal and PR crisis. On top of that loomed the retirement of then 64-year-old CEO, Dave Calhoun, who was just coming up on the company’s mandatory retirement age of 65.