Ford recruits Tesla Roadster chief engineer

[Av8tor]

Tesla loses Roadster chief engineer behind several important vehicle programs to Ford
Device Advisor - AWS IoT Core (amazon.com)


Summary from article above:

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Tesla has lost its executive in charge of new vehicle programs who has been in charge of several important engineering programs, and now, he is going to work on Ford’s electric vehicles.​

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Alan Clarke has been at Tesla for over a decade.​

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He started out as a senior design engineer in 2009 and worked on several projects, including the Model S’ iconic door handles.​

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He listed some of the projects on his LinkedIn page:​

• Model X – Advanced Engineering, integration of front drive unit and rear drivetrain, integration of high voltage distribution, manufacturing of all closure panels
  • Mechanical Design of Model S Battery Enclosure – design and development of aluminum structure and steel covers including castings, extrusions, and stampings, and multiple joining and sealing technologies
  • Advanced design of Front and Rear Suspension and Steering including Catia Kinematic Modeling for Model S
  • Model S Full Vehicle Package Owner – drove resolution for integration issues
  • Model S Exterior Door Handles Concept Mechanism and first prototype design to prove out concept for production

Clarke was quickly promoted to director of new program engineering – a role he has been holding at Tesla for the last four years.​

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[tbets]

Ford just keeps on poaching don’t they? Not saying it in a bad way either, I hope these plays will cause them to manufacture awesome EVs in the future!

 

[Av8tor]

Ford just keeps on poaching don’t they? Not saying it in a bad way either, I hope these plays will cause them to manufacture awesome EVs in the future!

Yep, that's two in the last few months.

Ford has hired former Tesla and Apple executive Doug Field to lead its emerging technology efforts, a key focus for the automaker under its new Ford+ turnaround plan.​

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Ford poaches top tech executive Doug Field who helped lead Apple's top-secret car project (cnbc.com)​

 

[MyLittlePony2022]

Ford just keeps on poaching don’t they? Not saying it in a bad way either, I hope these plays will cause them to manufacture awesome EVs in the future!

He did not have to accept their offer and Tesla could have made him a counter offer. Most people leave companies for other reasons than money. The money is just the cherry on the top of the sundae. I doubt he was under paid in his position. He could have approached Ford too. Almost anything goes in a free market economy.

 

[ab13]

Sounds good, Ford is doing a full platform which is different than what Tesla does, a model at a time. He may be more interested in platform development to expand his career.

 

[rhizomatic]

I think Tesla's share price is now becoming a disincentive for current and future employees. Despite being an $888 billion company Tesla still rewards employees (and dilutes its shareholders) as if it's a start-up. Stock options are great for aspiring engineers/execs who believe they can use their talents to meaningfully contribute to an increase in the company's value. But realistically what are the chances a Tesla option is going to increase substantially in value when the company's current valuation is so far extended? The time to work at Tesla was 10 years ago or even 3 years ago. If you're a brilliant mind in search of employment would you rather work at an $888 billion company (Tesla) spending $8-10 billion yearly (R&D + capex) on EV innovation and build-out, or would you rather work at a $70 billion company (Ford) with targetted EV spending of $10-12 billion annually through 2025. At which company would your employment be more impactful and potentially lucrative?

 

[Av8tor]

I think Tesla's share price is now becoming a disincentive for current and future employees. Despite being an $888 billion company Tesla still rewards employees (and dilutes its shareholders) as if it's a start-up. Stock options are great for aspiring engineers/execs who believe they can use their talents to meaningfully contribute to an increase in the company's value. But realistically what are the chances a Tesla option is going to increase substantially in value when the company's current valuation is so far extended? The time to work at Tesla was 10 years ago or even 3 years ago. If you're a brilliant mind in search of employment would you rather work at an $888 billion company (Tesla) spending $8-10 billion yearly (R&D + capex) on EV innovation and build-out, or would you rather work at a $70 billion company (Ford) with targetted EV spending of $10-12 billion annually through 2025. At which company would your employment be more impactful and potentially lucrative?

It's always better to be a big fish in a smaller pond!

 

[MachMachWhoThere]

I hope this means I can expect a rocket booster add on for my MME GT by 2023.

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