Thinking about moving back to ford. I was in ford's NGV project and left before it was spun off into Argo AI. Argo AI is now dead and ford abandons L4. It now seems repurposed to L2 via Latitude.AI. I just applied for an AV position @ "Ford Next". What's the relationship between Latitude.AI and Ford Next? Is Ford Next working on AV or it is just ford' integration arm of Latitude tech? If that's the case, I'd rather go to latitude. Or does Ford now have two competing AV divisions with no clear separation of power.
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One BIG difference is that Ford Next has WASTED $15 BILLION in the past 5 years, with no potential PROFITS to show for it. It is a Farley wannabe Musk group, will be shut down when Farley’s contract ends next year when hopefully we get a better CEO. Stern needs to go, too. He’s been a nothing burger, costing millions, producing no value.
Ford Next still has a bright future even though its visionary leader has left the company. If you cannot find a spot in Ford Next, I recommend moving into Model e. Both are equally the most significant sections of the company transformation via Ford+ Plan.
Serious question here. Rather than call employees in certain parts of the company "losers" or something else unnecessary, I'll ask a constructive question to trigger some larger questions. Given Ford's recent performance, market position, and leadership choices, do you want to go there? What makes it appealing? If the potential you see outweighs those risks, then I say go for it. If they offer you the flexibility you need and that matches where you are in life at this moment then fine. I would plan out so far as maybe 3 years with Ford or any automotive OEM. Make sure you have a plan because as we have all seen, there can be a lot of changes that you get caught up in. Insulate yourself from bad management and have an exit plan. Rustle up network connections because that will be the 1st thing to save you when some C level decides labor needs to be cut again and that's the easiest way. There have been a lot of dicey decisions made which should give someone pause if they were on the outside looking to accept employment with Ford right now. Make sure the employment works in your favor. You already know the job expectations (roughly) so you know what you bring to the table.
Ford Next, previously called Ford X in hopes it might be confused with a Tesla division, is a hope and dream of Farley that costs shareholders $3 BILLION per year. When Farley goes, when his 5 year CEO contract ends, Ford Next is eliminated, if not sooner.
OP Here: After doing a bit of digging. There isn't really heck of a lot of info on ford next. While the job req had a motion planning vibe, I suspect Ford Next isn't really core AV - not even close. I'm going to yank my application.
Dude, people on this forum are miserable. And they want others to be miserable. Even if they DID know the answer - they wouldn't tell you.
If you are already an employee, I'd ask the question to your leaders and possibly the hiring manager.
If you aren't an employee, then roll the dice and see what happens. The worst that can happen is they say no - and you're in no worse a position than currently. And they could say yes - to which you could reply yes or no.
Just go for it. And if you are already here, then don't worry about asking questions. Usually, the leaders in those teams love to hear themselves talk and will be glad to explain it all to whoever will listen...
Moving to AV is a great place to go if you want to get laid off.
You’re never going to be able to move, so your question is moot.
Unvarnished truth about Next from a Ford Next employee:
Ford AV strategy is a sh-t show.
Avoid Ford Next…it is a bunch of losers going nowhere.
The only good thing to ever happen there was FLV and the Hermes handbag fire.
The expense of that group is going to get them all laid off.
Stern and his lack of leadership will be gone within two years.
Zero revenue eventually means zero jobs.
I cannot tell what this post is for.
If u worked on AV in the past, you should have known all the bottom line answers to the puzzles that you have. Or, you should have asked if anyone already knows when the show will be discontinued.
@snv+1trS31Dv. I don't need career advice. I want to know about Next from ford.
employees. They know if Ford AV strategy is a sh-t show or not. I'm seeking unvarnished truth.
Look at what you typed in to get to this place, this is a layoff site. If you need career advice, try linked in or something.
OP here. I know Latitude is a supplier of L2 AV to ford. So it's "not just a division" but a separate company. Further I recall Farley had a hate on for Argo - so it's not s surprise they parted ways - in addition L4 was a dicey proposition in general. Is the hate so deep they even want to separate from Latitude (it's basically recycled Argo Employees) or they don't like the idea of joint development with VW (I thought VW was a partner) and they just want to part ways and engage in sole development - via Ford Next?