Ford Motor Company has named Doug Field as the company’s chief advanced technology and embedded systems officer.
Prior to joining Ford, Field served as VP, Special Projects, at Apple, where he was heading the tech giant’s efforts to build an autonomous vehicle titled Project Titan.
Previously, he had served as the VP of Mac hardware engineering. Leaving Apple in 2013 to become Tesla’s chief vehicle engineer, he was senior vice-president, Engineering, at Tesla, where he had overseen the development of the Model 3 sedan. He left Tesla in 2018 and had rejoined Apple.
He will now join Ford and report to Ford President and CEO Jim Farley, helping with the company’s Ford+ growth plan.
“Field will partner closely with Hau Thai-Tang, Ford’s chief product platform and operations officer, to create the next generation of Ford’s connected products and experiences at the foundation of the Ford+ growth plan,” Ford said in an official release.
“Field will lead Ford’s efforts to develop the next-gen Blue Oval Intelligence tech stack to deliver smart, connected vehicles and services that improve over time through constant updates,” it added.
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The executive will oversee the company’s Embedded Software and Hardware organisation currently consisting of vehicle controls, enterprise connectivity, features, integration & validation, architecture & platform, driver assistance technology and digital engineering tools.
Leadership shifts
Field's exit is the latest hiccup for Apple’s ambitions to make an autonomous car. It began its efforts in 2014 and has undergone multiple shifts in leadership over the years. As per reports, it was still in the early stages of the project as of January this year.
“We’re grateful for the contributions Doug has made to Apple and we wish him all the best in this next chapter,” an Apple spokesperson said in a statement as quoted by The Verge .