Why Connected EVs Are Ford’s Future: Jim Farley on “The Inflection Point”

Quick Take: Jim Farley, CEO at Ford Motor Company, joined “The Inflection Point,” hosted by Monica Langley, EVP, Salesforce, to discuss how he is transforming the car company where his grandfather once worked.

What’s the impact?: The next big car trend and corporate responsibility are two wildly different subject matters — but both are on Farley’s mind these days. They’re just part of the many changes Farley has brought to Ford as he seeks to transform the Blue Oval into an automaker driven by social values.

What he’s saying:

“I thought the electric car was going to be the coolest thing happening in my career; I was wrong. It’s the connected-data vehicle that is really the game changer in our industry.”

“We’re a company where people volunteer without being asked.  We made ventilators, not because anyone in the government asked us. We had people driving to South Dakota to 3M to make ventilators, and they volunteered. No one asked them in the company.” 

“That sense of service to the Ford employees or the community in Detroit doesn’t stop when you’re the CEO. In fact, it becomes more important because, as the CEO, everyone tells me how great everything is going, but when I’m handing out socks at Pope Francis Center, I see things, and myself, a little clearer.”

Learn More: To see the full interview with Jim Farley, watch the latest episode of “The Inflection Point” here.