Has anyone else noticed that the train station does not appear to be anywhere near ready to open in 2022? I was in the area the other day, took the route to go around the entire building. It is not close. On top of that, whenever it is done, we don’t need office space anymore, and working in Detroit simply in not a talent draw. Everyone wants to work from home. Huge waste of resources for the company and shareholders, who won’t see a dividend any time soon.
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Exactly right. The Train Station mess shows how out of touch Bill is. Way way out!
The Ford family has mismanaged the Ford Motor Company and the Detroit Lions FOR DECADES. Nothing will change here until something forces the family to sell. As long as they have super voting power with Class B shares, employees have no choice but to succumb to the void of intelligence that is the Ford family trust. Sadly, they don’t seem impacted by the lack of shareholder dividends, but that is likely because they treat the company like their personal bank account and pay themselves to do nothing of value.
The Ford family has mismanaged the Ford Motor Company and the Detroit Lions FOR DECADES. Nothing will change here until something forces the family to sell. As long as they have super voting power with Class B shares, employees have no choice but to succumb to the void of intelligence that is the Ford family trust. Sadly, they don’t seem impacted by the lack of shareholder dividends, but that is likely because they treat the company like their personal bank account and pay themselves to do nothing of value.
For me, the Train Station "Money Pit" is an example of how well-intentioned leader can make expensive, if not also d-mb business mistakes. (...Note to senior Ford leaders: Please stop throwing good Ford money after bad with the Train Station. Clearly, High Tech workers do not want to work there, no matter how much money you sink.)
Over 30 years, I have seen senior Ford leaders come and go. Bill Jr. has to be among the worst of them. IMO, Henry Ford would have never allowed anyone as marginally successful as Bill Jr. to lead so many for so long. Who would?
Sadly, the decline of Ford coincides with Bill Jr. serving as Chairman (1999), although Bill did do one really great thing since 1999. He hired Alan Mulally. For that Bill deserves some credit. I am not blaming the decline solely on Bill. We know that Coorelation is not the same as Causation. Now Bill needs to do something else really good. Understand his own shortcomings, as Chairman.
Come on Bill. Get us another truly good leader, before it is too late.
The train station reminds me of the Visteon Village story. (for you former Ford employees screwed by Visteon)
A company in a downward spiral wasting money on a facility it does not nor never needed. Look how that Visteon village campus ended up and its timeline. That's your preview for the train station.
I agree that Bill is incompetent...but he's never going to go or have his decision making powers curtailed. The family has and always will have their protected voting shares which makes them the de facto owners and decision makers of Ford. This isn't the first time company resources have been dumped into Ford family member's pet project nor will it be the last. There have been plenty of examples of this over the years. The RenCen was HFII's brainchild. The company is heavily invested in little-watched racing series because Edsel likes motorsports. The train station is just another high profile example of the Ford family wasting company resources on their personal interests.
I was on Michigan Avenue near there the other night and watched two guys shining lights into parked cars looking for something to smash and grab. Not a nice neighborhood after dark.
Billy will probably have them build a scale model of the Golden Gate Bridge across Oakwood for pedestrian traffic and maybe a cable car on the old gradeability hill to attract all that West Coast talent.
That company has gone down the sh_tter ever since they brought in the Hatchet Man for a few years. They bought the train station at the expense of many good employees. Never buy a Ford product again.
@rze+1cyCeavn. Thanks for the chuckle, I can’t get the conga line and maracas out of my head, but I think that’s a good thing.
So we are now in times of pandemic experts agree will be with us for some time. Yet we are not only dropping our limited cash into the Train Station money pit, but also a gigantic Dearborn campus. While execs continue to try to convince workers that we HAVE to return to offices for the sake of maintaining our precious "culture" and " creativity"; the experienced, or actually intelligent worker is like uhhh nope. Rather we see "office culture" for what it really is, a method of control to ensure continuation of their jobs because they lack the skill and ability to really lead people or organizations unless they can "see" them. The stupidity that Ford is still clinging to the idea that a building in the middle of a mu---r capital or in the middle of Dearborn is going to convince the best and brightest to leave family, friends, or a beautiful area is nothing but delusional. Other companies will gladly offer world leading talent the opportunity to live anywhere they darn well please. So what, they think they are going to be able to have 2 classes of people on the same team and that it won't destroy what little morale you have left?
@kkg+1cyCeavn "If they were smart, they would see it as-is"
Ford management smart? I think that was outsourced years ago. Maybe you could find some at the glorified team leaders level (also known as LL6s). Instead, we have Blind Billy leading the @sskissers' conga line and "Car" Jimmy with the maracas.
I never understood the appeal of the Train Station for the company. There are better and cheaper places out there. This was done at the whim of Bill, to leave a "legacy" because he is uncapable of leaving a (good) legacy by building cars. What I find appalling is that the BoD and the CEO did not try to convince him otherwise.
That also explains the "wokeism" at Ford, and the pursuit of the next quarter results. There is no long term planning anymore, except getting rid of the highest salaried workers. Just sad.
Thanks
Now that covid is with us, no one will ever want to work in that petri dish. If they were smart, they would see it as-is.
I am sorry to say this but Billy needs to be removed form the BOD for this blunder. A very clear case of a waste of money and Ford corporate resources for his own personal legacy. In the past three years this went form a Mid west version of silicon valley to now apartments! I am sorry that is no excuse for incompetency. Bill needs to go. He is not a leader nor does he know what he is doing. If he wants to turn that train station into something. Then use hi sown personal wealth. There is no accountability for this action. I am most surprised that Wall Street has not asked for him to step down.
@xsa Top 4 so far this year... https://worldpopulationreview.com/us-city-rankings/cities-with-most-mu---rs
Yep. The train station was the d-mbest and worst idea in Ford history. It shows just how out of touch and what a terrible leader our Ford, “Wonderboy,” Billy is. Talent wants to work from home, not the mu---r capitol or second mu---r capitol in the country.