Thread regarding Ford layoffs

Last 16 years were spent with a Dem leading us. Think about that. Can’t blame the one in charge for creating it.

If Ford would just devote the resources it is putting towards useless BS on the vehicles things would be a lot better. Instead of putting useless features on the vehicle year after year, why not simply make sure your handles, tailgates, oil pumps, and overall power-train work better so as not to be recalled? Yes, I'm talking about the core concepts of what a vehicle is and does, not this useless layer cake of software they want to shove at everyone. The vast majority of the software is there because they think it will increase "engagement" is #1 poorly written garbage. #2 and likely most important - it's rarely used. Why? Because someone at Ford needs a job or something to do. The people that count, don't care about it (customers). So go ahead and keep piling up useless software on the layered cake mess and keep sending the customer back to the dealerships for stuff that should be easy wins for a car maker and see where that gets you.

I can't wait to see a recession in 2025. It will be good globally and it will get everything back down to normal again. Low inflation, low interest, more manufacturing jobs in the US, no more spending for illegal immigrants, block the borders, boosting stock market, lower consumer prices. 👍

@mg+1jnzxhc84 "We were on a strong path with strong jobs, production, and stock market values"

Wow! You are smoking some good shiiit! It looks like some dem shiit. It hurts the brain and the soul, but it seems you are already missing the former... Keep smoking it...

Inflation was already down from a high over 9% to just about the expected long-term rate of 2%. But let's not worry about facts, right? Now, you will see wild price increases with all of these tariffs. Couple that with the layoffs that are occurring (and that increased production costs will engender) and we are in for some very rough times . . . . . and this did not have to happen. We were on a strong path with strong jobs, production, and stock market values to name a few. Only a matter of weeks into 2025 and that trajectory and momentum is completely lost.

@gp+1jnzxhc84 I agree that Trump doesn't care much about us at Ford, but neither anyone else, politicians or not. At least Trump is throwing the wrench into the government, which has grew too large, too powerful, and too corrupt.

Ford has to find its footing by itself, by making vehicles that people want, with decent quality and prices. If Ford reduces the price of its vehicles 50% off, most of the lots are going to end empty, excepting the MachE and Lightning. That means we are pandering to the wrong market (young affluent posh id--ts, instead of the great multitude like Henry Ford did).

People can deal with quality issues (not causing harm) in cheap vehicles, but won't accept anything less than perfection on a six figure vehicle. We are cheap ba----ds at Ford, we squeeze suppliers, we don't ask for perfection, just cheap parts. So we are not only pandering to the wrong market, but our processes don't even align properly to that crowd.

I can get a more reliable, cheaper and nicer vehicle from a japanese brand that from Ford. We are losing to the competition in all fronts. One quick solution is (besides kicking out JF and all the C-suite/BOD/LLs) to start assembling the cheapest trims of our line up. For instance, I was looking to buy a cheap car, and I thought about a Maverick around $20K. Well, the available Mavericks in my area are competing in price with the Ranger, in the 30K range. So if I have to pay that much, better go with a Mazda CX-5, leather interior, simple design, great reliability, nice vehicle. So that's another customer lost, and I work at Ford. What can we expect others will do then, if not the same?

The customer is always right, does that sound familiar Ford? So stop messing things up, and give customers what they want. It's not that hard...

However much you are with Trump he thinks you are a stupid Ford employee. He likes and regards Tesla employees only. For him you are an id--t and don't know what you are doing at Ford.

Congress needs to write and pass the tax legislation so that Trump can sign off on it. If that eliminates all federal taxes on individuals like income, social security, medicare, etc, and replaces them with a single federal VAT I'd be happy. If the federal government would also stop deficit spending I'd be ecstatic.

Property taxes on primary residence are evil and should be eliminated too, but that's a state level issue.

He is laser focused on shifting income and other personal, like estate, taxes to sale tax. Get ready for your 25% pay raise.

@OP. IDK. We've had recession indicators for a while. Even when Obama was in charge. The problem is that politicians have become better at kicking the recession can down the road.

If you take a look at history, we had a recession every 3-4 years, as it should be, since recessions are needed for capitalism to work correctly. Recessions allow "bad" companies to disappear (survival of the fittest), reduce inflation, reduce salaries (keeping us competitive) and reset prices.

Then, in the second part of last century, we became better at delaying recession, which allowed companies and families to get away with bad decisions. Anyone that met someone from the Silent Generation will notice how thrifty they were/are. Anyone that looks at most families and companies nowaday, will realize how careless they are handling money. The bo-m in the 50's and 60's spoiled us all.

So in order to keep living that American Dream (not the version of success through hardness, but the spoiled "rich" version of the Post WWII), government, companies and families overspend more and more, in a vicious cycle of inflation and debt.

Take Ford for example. We had a huge debt for so long, that many people think is OK to carry such levels of debt. The problem with debt, is that restricts the options in a bad economy. So I would not be surprised of hearing about big layoffs at FMC if the economy tanks, since there aren't many other options.

The question right now is not if we see recession indicators, but if we would be able to avoid it again, and if we should. The last administration overspend 10 trillions of dollars trying to avoid it. How much would cost us to kick the can down the road? And if we want to fix the US economy, reduce prices and inflation, the fastest way is through recession.

As with other recessions, some workers lose their jobs, and some keep them. To all my fellow Fordsters, “May the odds be ever in your favor”.

The enemy within is now in charge.

"So be it. We have a country to take back."

Take back from who?

So be it. We have a country to take back.

c5+1jnzxhc84,
I agree. I want Americans to do well and really don't care about Trump. It is people who are important to me not Trump.

I've aleady dumped the stock in my 401k and moved them to Interest. I'm not going to get caught again like I did in 2008. It took 5 years to get back the money I lost.

Trump is either a genius or an id--t. Just for the sake of American people's prosperity and future hoping that he knows what he is doing and not sc--w up America. No one in his administration can correct him because he is the most knowledgeable person on earth. We will know...

We were last year, the government was lying. Job creation was all foreign born and government jobs. GDP was mostly government spending.

What makes you think that we aren't already in recession?

Yes, even our economic genius in the WH is now hinting at a recession on the horizon. Given his unpredictably and decision-making process based in political retribution, I agree with one of the other poster', it will be bad.

It’s coming

This year? ...more like this quarter or next quarter based on current and forecasted economic data. Buckle up folks and keep some cash on hand. We are getting what we deserve, change with an extra portion of chaos. As a 35 year veteran of finance and investor for 40 years, the markets are telling us its going to get bad.