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Ford Hires Doug Field, the Man Who Made the Tesla Model 3 Possible

If you have never heard about Doug Field, that’s a shame. The man has been involved with major automotive projects and was working at Apple on special projects, which you can also read as an electric car from that company. After making the Model 3 possible, Field is now part of the Ford team, something Jim Farley proudly announced himself on Twitter.
Ford Hires Doug Field, Former Tesla and Apple Executive 24 photos
Photo: Tesla/University of Southern Indiana/Twitter
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Ford’s CEO seemed really happy for getting Field back to Ford, where the engineer started his career as a development engineer in 1987. He then moved to Johnson & Johnson, Deka, Segway, and Apple in 2008, where he stayed until 2013. That was when Field joined Tesla, just in time to work on developing the Model X and the Model 3.

Field was considered the de facto CEO at Tesla, deciding about most of the pressing issues with product development when Musk was not around. In August 2018, soon after the Model 3 was released, the engineer went back to Apple.

Things at Tesla were not good for a while. Field was in charge of both engineering and vehicle production in early 2018. In May, Musk took control of production, and Field left the company, something Tesla tried to classify as a mere “leave of absence” at the time. In the company’s words, he needed time to “recharge and spend time with his family.” Field never got back, and his departure was made official in July. In August 2018, he was back at Apple.

At Ford, Field will be the CATESO (chief advanced technology and embedded systems officer), reporting directly to Farley. According to Farley, Field will be in charge of the “next generation of digital vehicles” and the “always-on experiences” for Ford customers that get “better and better over time.” In other words, he will help Ford make the most of OTA (over-the-air) updates.
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About the author: Gustavo Henrique Ruffo
Gustavo Henrique Ruffo profile photo

Motoring writer since 1998, Gustavo wants to write relevant stories about cars and their shift to a sustainable future.
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