They form a new skunkworks that’s secret and isolated from Ford.
They hire alumni from Apple and Tesla.
This is going to be the bright future of Ford.
I mean what does this say about Ford employees? Keep up the good work, and meanwhile we are hiring some smart people to build the next generation tech.
The NASA comparison tells you the buffoonery that is ensuing. Unorganized, accelerated, and nondeterministic slop is what is coming out of that team.
A little? Hehe. Are you new there?
This is a continuation of a pattern. Ford continually hires executives from outside the company. Many just stay for a year or two, get the clock punched and leave. So much for the loyal worker who stays here for 20 plus year hoping to bag one of those jobs. Clearly management does not think they are capable of it.
Skunk works is disorganize chaos. Long beach is a mess, no parking, no open chargers, and constant construction zone. Just read the JF NASA comparison, Cripes almighty!
The people I know in Long Beach are from Faraday Future and Canoo. So not delivering, poor direction, and a bit of scamming. Other than that, they're hiring people on contract for well below high COL CA wages. I definitely haven't been impressed with the people I've talked to at that facility.
It will fail as the EVs program did
Not really, they seem like grossly incompetent a--holes, watching them get touted is like watching a mo--n gush about how smart a dog is, the mo--n thinks it's a human. Failure will be amusing and sad at the same time.
Skunkworks doesn’t seem very central to Ford business. It will sink or swim on its own. Personally I think it is risky. Converting the Louisville Battery Plant to battery electric storage assumes continued rapid growth of green energy for data centers. I think BESS/wind/solar energy will be a lot more expensive and less agile than traditional natural gas or hydropower. The physical separation of assembly in Louisville and design and engineering in Long Beach is another risk. Design/Engineering/Building the plant/Launch of a profitable $30,000 EV seems like a stretch unless it is really an import from China. But, I think there is geopolitical risk. In 2027 US priority is more likely going to be finding ways to burn Venezuelan oil in ICE vehicles than in assembling EV components in Louisville. That said, if the relationship with China improves, Chinese cars may come into North America in much the same way Japanese cars came into the US in the 1980s. Venezuelan oil can be used to make electricity to charge Chinese EVs.
Yeah the Apollo comparisons are just do out of context it's hilarious. Not even a pi-ple on the a$$ of that program. You telling me what the team is working on is THAT consequential to mankind? Sure. Maybe to you it is but not many others will care. I can tell you one thing though, if it fails to deliver, there will probably be a blood bath in the upper ranks, because if there isn't and they proceed to blame and cull mostly GSR's...this will mean that failure is an accepted outcome and ambitious employees (those that are left) will move on to work on something that IS consequential. Maybe this is Ford's Hail Mary. Maybe not. Either way when 2027 rolls around there will be a lot to answer for and let's hope that it's positive. The alternative is employees losing what little faith they had left in leadership to provide resources and support to execute. Because after all - that is what leadership is there to do.
Everything Farley says and does is an F U to the employee base.
@eh where can I find a good pair of bunny slippers these days? The ones I’ve ordered on Amazon have been quite low-quality. Has anyone found any made from real bunny fur?
@dt Ford is now snuggling up with BYD to use their batteries and JF is quoting "One small step for man, one giant leap for mankind". So we are walking on the moon now wearing pink bunny slippers? What a friggin joke!! lol!
Farley’s Apollo comparisons are embarrassing, talk about delusions of grandeur. Like using “Skunkworks” is even comparable to what Lockheed has accomplished. Apple Cobblers think they are elite when in reality they never invented anything groundbreaking.
Well, Farley just compared it to the Apollo missions, after previously comparing it to the Model T. Then you have DF, who never delivered anything at Apple and hasn't delivered anything at Ford yet, talking about "20x engineers". There's simply no way this thing lives up to their own hype.
Next to Model e, Skunkworks is the defacto most important organization inside Ford. No other area is close. Thus you should stop the absurd criticism.
They hire burnouts from Apple and Tesla and have produced nothing.
@a4 actually they are smoking weed and blowing DF.
They are not smart. Just good at blowing smoke and woke.