Ford Motor Co. this week tapped Jim Hackett—a former office furniture chief executive who has been running its ride- and vehicle-sharing division since March 2016—to assume leadership of the company.
Hackett's assignment: to transform the 114-year-old automaker from a company that designs and sells vehicles driven by their owners into one that makes autonomous vehicles (see "What to Know Before You Get In a Self-Driving Car"). He quickly got to work announcing a series of executive shifts, including the return of Sherif Marakby, who had left the car maker for Uber last year, to oversee Ford's self-driving and electric car businesses.
Today carmakers sell to individual drivers through an extensive network of dealers, which makes profits both selling and servicing cars. In a world of self-driving vehicles, individuals could stop buying cars, and instead use fleets owned and operated by a third party. Ford and its competitors could become the manufacturer and third-party owner, a seller of rides as well as vehicles.
Hackett, 62, lands the job right as the auto industry seems on the verge of a cyclical downturn in sales following six straight years of unit-sales increases, and following several years of poor stock performance for the company. Unlike the man he is replacing—Mark Fields, a 28-year Ford veteran who guided the automaker for less than three years—Hackett does not have a conventional résumé for an auto industry chief executive. He is best known for running Grand Rapids, Michigan-based Steelcase Inc., once a maker of desks and filing cabinets. He gained a reputation in Silicon Valley as a creative thinker skilled at leading comprehensive organizational change, and attracted the attention of Bill Ford Jr., the automaker's executive chairman. After Steelcase he spent 17 months as interim athletic director at the University of Michigan—where he had played football under the legendary Bo Schembechler—overhauling a struggling football program.
Wake me when they have self-driving bicycles.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday May 28 2017, @06:26PM
This project is for real, http://blogs.cornell.edu/teams/2016-teams/autonomous-bicycle/ [cornell.edu]
When completed, the intent is to have it roam the pathways around the Cornell U campus. I saw a presentation on the underlying technology last year, for a low-dollar project it is impressive.
And this is a hoax, http://www.snopes.com/google-self-driving-bicycle/ [snopes.com]
(Score: 2) by The Mighty Buzzard on Sunday May 28 2017, @06:35PM (3 children)
This bet is entirely predicated on Americans wanting self-driving cars. This is not currently the case [google.com].
My rights don't end where your fear begins.
(Score: 1, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday May 28 2017, @06:44PM (2 children)
Doesn't matter what you or I want. What the big bucks are headed for is a "mobile office" and "mobile theater" where everyone in the self-driving car is subscribed to one or more SaaS plans, either work or entertainment related. They want all the money and they want it all the time, subscription plans for $$$/month is the name of the game now. They already started at work (internet-connected office suites) and at somewhat at home (cable cutters). Grabbing the income available from the time traveling while commuting or shopping is next.
(Score: 2) by The Mighty Buzzard on Sunday May 28 2017, @09:56PM
It rather does if the self-driving cars don't sell for shit. Big companies have power because they have money because they're exceedingly good at not throwing money away on ideological nonsense.
My rights don't end where your fear begins.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday May 29 2017, @05:28PM
they want to control movement just as much as they want to brainwash and spy.
(Score: 1, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday May 28 2017, @06:36PM (2 children)
From the Technology Review link (also repeated in WaPo today), the submitter missed the best parts -- at Steelcase, Hackett made friends with and then bought the Silicon Valley design firm IDEO, well known for working with Apple. From this led to furniture for open offices. So Hackett was part of the move away from cubicles -- look for lots of cube farm hardware on the market in Dearborn as Ford's cubicles are tossed out. I wonder if any of the engineers will be able to focus after that change?
And, maybe there will be some IDEO influence on future Fords?
(Score: 2) by Uncle_Al on Sunday May 28 2017, @06:48PM (1 child)
"designed to encourage more collaboration among employees."
and eliminate any semblance of privacy
(Score: 2) by turgid on Sunday May 28 2017, @07:55PM
...nnd the ability to concentrate on anything for more than 30 seconds and hence get anything meaningful done. Noise-cancelling headphones are a necessity.
I refuse to engage in a battle of wits with an unarmed opponent [wikipedia.org].
(Score: 2) by FatPhil on Sunday May 28 2017, @07:16PM (2 children)
Great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people; the smallest discuss themselves
(Score: 2) by turgid on Sunday May 28 2017, @07:56PM (1 child)
And they provide unlimited free fertiliser for your garden. All you need is a shovel.
I refuse to engage in a battle of wits with an unarmed opponent [wikipedia.org].
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday May 28 2017, @07:59PM
And you can eat them, or grab them in the pussy, or fuck them in the pussy.
(Score: 2) by kaszz on Sunday May 28 2017, @08:19PM
What do we know about Ford that will make this near impossible? ;-)
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday May 28 2017, @09:55PM
Ex footballer big ideas guy with design leadership cred. ... you know what, let's just assume he's the right guy for the job. I mean, I doubt it, based on concerns that others have already raised, but let's assume.
They will design the most jackable cars ever.
Small street gang occupies pedestrian crossing, boxes vehicle in. "Yo, gimme dat Gucci. An' yo ho. Good, dat's tight. Now drive outta here, mofo."
Or even just strip it right there and walk off.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday May 28 2017, @10:10PM (3 children)
...was being PM.
(Score: 2) by SpockLogic on Monday May 29 2017, @02:32AM
Don't forget ...
Overreacting is one thing, sticking your head up your ass hoping the problem goes away is another - edIII
(Score: 2) by gawdonblue on Monday May 29 2017, @08:24AM (1 child)
A very courageous comment, AC.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday May 30 2017, @03:21AM
Not getting this, can you explain?
If this meaning of PM is from popular culture, I don't watch TV, there isn't one in Mom's basement...