Doug Field, the man in charge of Apple’s privately held car project, left great technology and joined Ford. A veteran of the automotive industry, Field will now serve as chief technology officer and head of embedded systems at Ford.
The official announcement comes after the news was first reported by Bloomberg.
Field’s departure marks the fourth anniversary of this CEO’s move to Apple’s automotive project since February this year.
Benjamin Lyon, Dave Scott and Jaime Waydo, all left in the first half of this year. There are no other updates from Apple’s car project this year.
Apple’s plan to make self-driving electric cars began to take shape in 2014. After a few years in this project, called Project Titan, the company decided to focus on developing self-driving technology. There were no serious thoughts about building his car until then.
That’s where Field entered 2018 as vice president of Apple’s special projects and began to open up such company opportunities.
Through him, Munda brought his management team from Tesla with expertise in self-driving software, interior and exterior designs, and drivetrain.
Field’s joining was also celebrated as he had been working with Apple in engineering and construction for five years. In 2013 Field left Apple to join Tesla, eventually leading the construction of the Tesla Model 3.
Field declined to comment on his work at Apple. In a statement, Apple noted Field’s departure, saying “we are grateful for Doug ‘contributions to Apple and wish him all the best for the next chapter.”
Field will now lead the development of advanced technology and embedded systems at Ford, which may include both electrical power and autonomous systems to some degree.
You will also look at the integration of Ford’s cars with other devices such as Smartphones and smartwatches.
Field said he was more than happy to join Ford as the automotive industry moved beyond integrated systems rather than just cars.
As for Apple’s efforts, how its plans will be disrupted by Field’s exit is not yet clear. Although there are still not many encouraging updates from the tech car project right now.
