Doug Field was most recently headed Apple’s special projects division.
On Tuesday, Ford announced it pulled the lead of Apple Inc.’s ongoing car project away from the tech giant. For his part, Doug Field — formerly the vice president of Apple’s special projects section. Prior to his tenure at Apple, he was also involved as a senior vice president in Tesla’s engineering department. Now, Field will work as Ford’s Chief Advanced Technology and Systems Officer — reporting to CEO Jim Farley.
“Doug is one of the world’s most respected engineering and product design leaders and has been driving force behind breakthrough products across auto, tech and mobility, including at Apple, Tesla and Segway,” said Farley. “We are thrilled Doug chose to join Ford to help write the next amazing chapter of this great company.” In that role, Field will lead the design and development of driver-assist technology, connected services, cybersecurity and connected user experience features (like over-the-air updates) across the Ford and Lincoln brands.
For the past several years — and under Farley’s leadership — Ford is stressing the importance of connected services and autonomous technology in its competitive push, both for retail and commercial customers.
At the moment, it remains to be seen how the ‘Apple Car’ project will progress with Field’s departure. Apple said in a statement that, “we’re grateful for the contributions Doug has made to Apple and we wish him all the best in this next chapter.” According to industry sources, Apple is supposed to launch its first bespoke electric car by 2024.
