Photo credit: Ford
Henry Ford may have founded one of the world’s most iconic car companies, but these days it’s being run—and run well—by Jim Farley. A good thing, since he’s steering Ford through one of the most complicated transitions in the auto industry, and he’s doing it with a mix of realism and bold bets that other legacy automakers are now copying.
Farley has repositioned Ford away from the “EV at all costs” mindset and toward a three-pronged, balanced strategy: first, build profitable hybrids now; second, make targeted EV investments in spaces where the company can actually win; and third, make a massive push into the industry’s cutting edge developments, like software, commercial fleets, and connected services.
He’s also the rare CEO who’s both a product obsessive and a dealmaker. Under his watch, Ford has doubled down on the F-150 franchise; amazing since I really didn’t think you could fit more of those on American roads. He’s also expanded Ford’s commercial business into a recurring-revenue machine, and struck partnerships across batteries, charging, and autonomous cars. And because Ford remains one of the most important employers and manufacturers in the U.S., Farley has considerable juice in national debates about industrial policy, EV incentives, and the future of American manufacturing.
