Lots of consultancy-origin software “engineers”, some of them cannot even be called “software engineer” in tech companies. Management is political, both upper and lower; people are working on numbers that make upper leaders happy. People get promoted because of their Ford “age”, instead of actual capability. Zero growth opportunity for experienced individual contributors. Too much politics & bureaucracy from excessive layers of management. Leads & managers are given positions they’re unqualified for. Uncompetitive wages for software/tech roles. Company is extremely conservative and very risk-averse. Promotions are non-existent. You must apply for a new opening, which notifies your manager—even if you didn’t want them to know. Some old middle managers are trying to act like Technical Product Managers, which isn’t working because they spent most of their career making cars and they don’t understand the software development process.
22 replies (most recent on top)
Good thing you’re not paid for your opinion.
Damn. Can’t even trust the word of a company as big as ford…
Absolutely the right thing. Anyone who can't answer questions and just says trust the process is trash. No reason to trust anything they say. Sound grubby. @na+1jqayvwqv
However regarding to the comment under the one immediately below, radical candor requires both direct honesty and genuine empathy. It involves delivering feedback openly and directly, while also showing care and respect for the other person’s experience and emotional state.
The feedback is indeed direct but notably lacks empathy. It dismisses genuine grievances, trivializing the individual’s experiences as simply typical or inevitable. Radical candor specifically rejects dismissiveness or condescension, and instead promotes sincere empathy paired with direct feedback.
Also, deductive reasoning involves logical arguments starting from general principles, leading to specific conclusions. It follows a structured form (if A, then B; A is true, thus B is true).
The feedback doesn’t present a logically structured argument—rather, it provides generalized advice based on personal experience or widely accepted assumptions about life. It’s more inductive (drawing from experience to general advice) rather than deductive.
While the advice on learning and setting boundaries is practical, the dismissive tone is problematic. It minimizes unethical or abusive workplace practices, indirectly endorsing them as simply “how the world works,” which isn’t entirely helpful or fair.
Appreciating someone’s rational tone is positive, but endorsing dismissive attitudes toward potential exploitation or unethical management practices risks normalizing problematic behavior.
I totally understand intent though!
Amazing coaching @na+1jqayvwqv
Deeply personal and sounded out all the noise without taking it personal. Great deductive reasoning. With a side of optimism. Rational candor
@g5+1jqayvwqv Welcome to adulthood! Where we measure people by their actions, and not by their words. Where we set our own boundaries, and not let others to set them for us.
Should I feel pity because you were lied to and manipulated? Nope. Because that's how you learned. Maybe someone told you to take it easy, maybe someone gave you advice, but young blood don't listen to anyone else. Life is the best teacher. Now you know, and I hope your future actions reflect this knowledge.
BTW, being lied to and manipulated happens at work, but also in love relationships, and even family. Keep your eyes open.
One time I got pulled over as a warning for forgetting my night lights as it was turning dark (it was def not dark) after leaving the movies. I recently had a fade (haircut). That ended up in cuffs on the curb while they ransacked my car and then left it that way after they found nothing. after that i was a good little brown boy until ford found another reason to be misjudged
Optics. Heh. That's how you get promoted. Being tall and having good hair helps, from what I hear.
These people don’t give a fu-k about you at ford if you are young they lack empathy and if you complain they use DARVO and say you’re the one that lacks empathy because you learn what boundaries are and human rights are. They don’t give af they call you anytime of the night. I’d be working in my sisters room while she’s hosting a celebration on a religious holiday when I’m supposed to be off solving issues they don’t pay me enough for because I’m supposedly too young without experience yet the entire stupid team isn’t able to sc--w a lightbulb. I’ve been coding since 9 years old yet they tell me I need to go through FCG like residency they lied I learned nothing. Even when I finally catch a break my manager would be so needy he would overtly tell coworkers to call my phone and I DID NOT EXCHANGE PHONE NUMBERS MY PHONE NUMBER WAS NOT PUBLIC. I’d be at the gym wrapping my night and my coworker would be like boss man says get home right away. I’d be working 60 hours week average and on weekends and my contract as FCG said only 40. When I’d get home from those calls my manager would be waiting for me. He promised me so many things if I did so many things which I followed through on that definitely advanced the careers of him and his friends while taking credit for my intellect. He kicked the can down the road for as long as possible and when I was finally time for my next rotation as an ai software engineer which I was so excited for at gdia instead of model e sweatshop they basically sabotaged it and replaced My advisor and made up some problem when reality was the team could not perform or do what I do and they needed me. They even already before hand offered me hthd a which shows the position was misclassified from the jump. They offered me a promotion months before that and admitted that despite my age I bring skills that do not normally come From someone of my age (a new grad) director of hr said that and so did everyone around. They were such liars promising me a dream that never come true and I only stayed because they made promises so when they sabotaged and used that to keep me my heart shattered because I endured a lot that year because my manager wouldn’t protect me from his friends taking credit and harassing me once the day Learned about my skills I became their slave and when I’d report they’d say I’m arrogant and those are my seniors and I am not allowed to question his friends who should not even have a job with what they were doing alongside subordinates. This sh-t was not real ford motor company literally scammed me and they didn’t expect I would clap back and I sent a document and they got scared and started a war against me. Abusing me like crazy and trying to tarnish my reputation. I couldn’t leave because of culture and I had no options and they took full advantage of my vulnerability because I trusted them to do the right thing I trusted the system I trusted the older people I was naive this being my first job. I was not granted any perks my other FCG friends got like higher education nothing I got offered dreams thats it. The advisor was switches and this guy was tasked with keeeping me quiet while I delivered what they sabotaged my future for and basically said that if I stay quiet and don’t make noise then they can move me away from model e but they basically created a new problem to solve when my problems were that they sold me all these promises that they knew weren’t true and they knew I would’ve left if those conditions were lies which they were. They wasted and stole the prime years of my life that I will NEVER get back. I don’t care how you older folks look at my situation YOU ARE THE ONES THAT LACK EMPATHY. There are some that watched and knew it was f-ked up and were just like “damn” but everyone was scared to save me. I even warned my university to not let other kids into this slave trade it will traumatize them and they don’t give af because of connections and how they don’t want to be involved in any drama. It’s fu--ing insane y’all ruined my life. You guys just like the dismiss and minimize on here without knowing anyone’s situation fu-k all of you greedy cu-ts
@fx+1jqayvwqv Some older entitled folks with a self consensus bias is sometimes the biggest self owns for your people. You make 'em look bad.
I remember I took time off because my dad had a work event I was attending at a go kart thing. He works for another supplier. They all knew I had off yet they blew up my fu--ing phone and started asking me to get home and to leave my dad’s event basically. Fu-kig. Ridiculous sh-t. They don’t give a fu-k about personal time. Worst part is that was like the second time I took off apart from two family deaths I experienced I lost both my grandma and grandpa that year and y’all don’t want me to spend time with my dad? Ffs. They have no empathy. My manager would never let me off whenever I’d ask he would say no I asked for a year straight no days off except two , one when grandma died and second grandpa. The day off for gokart was super hard to pull off and I had to fu--ing talk to like 6 people to get this sh-t going because my manager DID NOT let me he ignored it and I had to fu--ing pull a Hail Mary to make my dad happy. Worst fu--ing job and only job of my life fu--ing traumatized me
The down votes on that post confirm that the internet makes no sense. Lol
@bz+1jqayvwqv The only person "allowed" to call me after hours is my manager. Any other number, except the coworkers that exchanged their personal info with me, is going to be routed as spam. These coworkers are from other teams, so when they call me is for anything but the job.
BTW, my manager knows that calling me is an automatic OT. So when I get the call, I know is something serious.
@dp+1jqayvwqv IDK if those guys answered their phones, but if I am retired from Ford, and the company needs me, that would require a contract. There is no free lunch. If I was laid off, I would not even pick the phone.
I have personally been on 2 calls this year and heard a LL6 tell their GSR to call a person who retired in 2024. "They haven't been gone that long" was their reasoning.
LL5 could care less, on one ear and out the other.
While that’s great it’s even worse when they contradict their defense /statements by seeing evidence of hours long footage contradicting them. Even worse. Much worse
Even worse if stalled or failure to cooperate or to repaint the scene or to defend facts laid against them etc even worse if they stall and even worse if they minimize and even worse if they do anything but take accountability. Even worse if you smell their fear
Correct... Vicarious liability is activated through tangible employment action from superior(s) which makes company at fault. Punitive damages can have a bottomless cap if other violations are found costing the company potentially millions if looked at with a closer lens.
Buddy I’ve had personal calls to my cell for weekends, days off, nights, and even religious holidays. You are smoking crack. The manager looks up your number and slides it to your coworkers. Promotions after constructive dismissal and retaliation after getting what you want out of them is illegal as will make the entire company vicariously liable and hurt fords reputation if that got out, EEOC would mediate and settle for way more than what the promotion would be. On top of that, lying about a promotion to get what you want from the individual if put in public documents or requested through FOIA will stain you forever in your professional careers. So yeah, I don’t know pal
- The software is garbage.
- Never accept a counter offer...ever.
- No vacations are interrupted for anything...ever.
- Promotions after a resignation threat are on borrowed time, this is common sense.
OP: Ford has been growing its software leadership over the past few years with new talent directly from the valley! How can you not even see that? DF and several others for starters. Do you even work at Ford?
@a5+1jqayvwqv direct managers only advocate for themselves and tell you they advocated for you. Be more awake around others for your own survival. Best
Honestly a pretty good list @op, let me try.
Far too many changes with tools, software, and infrastructure — migration is prioritized over improving product and user experience. Always migrating. Deadlines set by management are arbitrary and disconnected from actual work. Metrics used by leadership can be manipulated and don’t tell the full story. Higher-level managers don’t listen to individual contributors. Majority of employees are “coasters” with minimal technical ownership. Responsibilities are fragmented, requiring cross-team dependency to accomplish tasks. Technical competence among coworkers is underwhelming. Company suffers multiple recalls due to lack of engineering excellence. Culture fails to reward high technical performance or expertise. Employees often perform for optics (e.g., asking questions to appear engaged). Limited interaction with operating partners (internal clients). Work focuses more on back-office tasks and slide decks than real strategy. Assignments are unpredictable, resembling constant “fire drills.” Career progression and promotion paths are unclear. Lack of psychological safety in the workplace. Toxic team dynamics in some orgs, particularly among “old guard.” Vicious backstabbing and militaristic management in certain teams. Constant re-orgs destroy continuity and institutional knowledge. Micromanagement is rewarded. Meetings are largely unproductive and broken. Leaders talk about change but don’t follow through. Teams present results that shift blame to others rather than drive outcomes. Old-school teams (program, engineering, vehicle execution) are especially toxic. No trust or development of technical talent. 60-hour work weeks sustained over years without promotion. Middle management blocks upward mobility even when advocated by direct managers. Other teams overstep boundaries (e.g., calling employees on personal phones during weekends/nights). Work-life balance is not respected; vacations may be interrupted for work. Promotions only happen after resignation threats — highlighting reactive, not proactive, management.