Ford hires former Tesla engineer to lead ‘Advanced EV Development’

[FutureBoy]

Ford hires former Tesla engineer to lead ‘Advanced EV Development’

ByJoey Klender
Posted on February 11, 2022

Ford has hired former Tesla Engineer Alan Clarke, who left the company over twelve years to oversee Ford’s “Advanced EV Development” projects.

According to Clarke’s LinkedIn, he accepted the position this week and officially joined Ford in California. At Tesla, he spent over twelve years in the company’s engineering department. In September 2009, he joined Tesla as the Senior Design Engineer on Model X and Model S projects, including the advanced engineering processes for the drive unit, drive train, voltage distribution, and closure panels for the all-electric SUV.

In January 2012, Clarke was promoted to the Senior Manager of New Programs Engineering, where he oversaw the engineering and development of advanced prototypes and future models at Tesla’s Los Angeles Design and Engineering Center. He then moved to Director of New Programs Engineering until leaving Tesla in January 2022.

Clarke confirmed the move to Ford on his LinkedIn. It was initially reported by Automotive News.

Ford has expanded its electric vehicle projects recently, as CEO Jim Farley announced that the company will aim to produce 600,000 electric vehicles within the next 22 months. Ford, attempting to become the first legacy automaker to scale electric vehicle production, is also looking to invest $30 billion in EV development through 2025. Ford recently stated it would restructure its EV playbook with an additional $20 billion.

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[FutureBoy]

OK, nice to see that Ford is taking stock and trying to get some of that magic Tesla sauce in-house.

Not actually why I posted. I posted because of this sentence:

Ford has hired former Tesla Engineer Alan Clarke, who left the company over twelve years to oversee Ford’s “Advanced EV Development” projects.

Wait... Did it take Alan 12 years to leave Tesla? Or he left Tesla 12 years ago? What really happened?

I really hate when people mess up their grammar to such an extent that the sentences become practically nonsensical.

 

[Crissa]

Yeah, I was going to say. This article needs an editor, bad.

Seems he left in the last month or two.

-Crissa

 

[Cyberman]

OK, nice to see that Ford is taking stock and trying to get some of that magic Tesla sauce in-house.

Not actually why I posted. I posted because of this sentence:



Wait... Did it take Alan 12 years to leave Tesla? Or he left Tesla 12 years ago? What really happened?

I really hate when people mess up their grammar to such an extent that the sentences become practically nonsensical.

As I read it, he left Tesla a little bit at a time, gradually, over a twelve year span.

 

[FutureBoy]

As I read it, he left Tesla a little bit at a time, gradually, over a twelve year span.

That's what I was thinking at first too.

He was doing his work but one day he decided to stop doing a small part of his job. A while later he rebelled further and refused to do yet another part. He kept finding parts of his job that he no longer wanted to do and just stopped doing them. Till finally, he wasn't actually doing anything for Tesla anymore. His final step was to then stop even going to Tesla. At which point Ford said... "Let's hire THAT guy!!"

I wonder if he got a red redline stapler out of it...

 

[charliemagpie]

How can someone like that walk the line between his NDA and working in his job ?

He would be fresh out of a meeting brim with IP, busy with tasks to improve over the competition, and the next day he sets up in the oppositions' office.

He was director of new program engineering… Not only does he know intricate details of current projects, but future ones as well.

 

[JJ_Tex]

How can someone like that walk the line between his NDA and working in his job ?

He would be fresh out of a meeting brim with IP, busy with tasks to improve over the competition, and the next day he sets up in the oppositions' office.

He was director of new program engineering… Not only does he know intricate details of current projects, but future ones as well.

My guess is that he was on "Garden Leave", meaning as soon he gave notice to Tesla they told him to go home but contractually had to pay him for X period of time. While he officially left Tesla last month, my guess is that his actual last day of work was earlier than that and Ford lawyers have reviewed his NDA (if he has one) before they announced he was joining Ford.

 

[Crissa]

How can someone like that walk the line between his NDA and working in his job ?

He would be fresh out of a meeting brim with IP, busy with tasks to improve over the competition, and the next day he sets up in the oppositions' office.

He was director of new program engineering… Not only does he know intricate details of current projects, but future ones as well.

That is why we banned that sort of NDA in California. It's anti-competitive and anti-worker to prevent them from doing what they know.

-Crissa

 

[Ogre]

Imagine working at Tesla for 12 years.

You work 16 hour days for weeks at a stretch. Get paid well, have $$$ many millions in Tesla options in the back. You are burned out, have a wife and maybe a couple kids who you see once a month.

Ford offers you a $500,000 signing bonus, a huge bonus package, and 40 hour weeks. Nice little payout and you are still working on “The Mission” (EVs everywhere, greening up transport, etc)

First day at Ford, get your new desk, meet your new staff, there’s an admin assistant… you aren’t sure how that works, what does an admin assistant do anyhow? You settle in for a day’s work and open you email…

There are 20 meeting invitations, many of them are recurring. WTF? At Tesla you spent 2-3 hours a week in meetings. You try to get out of as many as possible, go to the first couple, come back to your desk and are ready to go home after the first frustrating day of work and there are 10 more meeting invites in your inbox. You’ve accomplished nothing but meetings!

How’s that for culture shock.

 

[Bill906]

Imagine working at Tesla for 12 years.

You work 16 hour days for weeks at a stretch. Get paid well, have $$$ many millions in Tesla options in the back. You are burned out, have a wife and maybe a couple kids who you see once a month.

Ford offers you a $500,000 signing bonus, a huge bonus package, and 40 hour weeks. Nice little payout and you are still working on “The Mission” (EVs everywhere, greening up transport, etc)

First day at Ford, get your new desk, meet your new staff, there’s an admin assistant… you aren’t sure how that works, what does an admin assistant do anyhow? You settle in for a day’s work and open you email…

There are 20 meeting invitations, many of them are recurring. WTF? At Tesla you spent 2-3 hours a week in meetings. You try to get out of as many as possible, go to the first couple, come back to your desk and are ready to go home after the first frustrating day of work and there are 10 more meeting invites in your inbox. You’ve accomplished nothing but meetings!

How’s that for culture shock.

You’ve either been around the corporate block a few times… or a big fan of Dilbert.

I guess those are not mutually exclusive.

 

[Ogre]

You’ve either been around the corporate block a few times… or a big fan of Dilbert.

I guess those are not mutually exclusive.

A little of both?

 

[Bill906]

I was specifically thinking of the one where the intern installed software so everyone could see your schedule and setup meetings. Dilbert suggests they apply "cubicle justice" on him and Alice says she would but she's in meetings until 3006.

I'd post it, but afraid I'd accidentally turn this thread into a "This is my favorite Dilbert" discussion.

Love the "dotted line to another boss" bit. Like most office workers, I swear Scott Adams works in my building. We recently started using "Team Leaders" to supplement management. Luckily the more experienced people (me) don't fall under team leads and report directly (and solely) to an actual supervisor.

 

[FutureBoy]

I'd post it, but afraid I'd accidentally turn this thread into a "This is my favorite Dilbert" discussion.

OK. I can see how your fear could easily be realized. I do have a few Dilberts. So instead, let me regale you with my most mind bending office work experience.

I worked for 5 years under a boss who had the same mannerisms, visual style, quotes, and general demeanor as the boss in the movie Office Space. Some of us used to joke about the similarities. One evening, we were working late on a project with some coworkers who were geographically distant. At the start, we had work to do, then we had to wait for the other team to accomplish some stuff, then we had to finish out the project. During the middle wait time, our boss suddenly suggests that we order pizza and watch a movie in one of our cubes. Plan accepted, he runs to his vehicle, and comes back with the DVD of his favorite movie (you guessed it), Office Space. So here we are packed into a small cube, eating pizza, watching Office Space on one of our computers, and our boss is cracking up in laughter the whole time while the rest of us are stuck in a mind bending nightmare.

I still cannot shake that experience.

 

[Bill906]

I can feel the discomfort as I read your story. That would be awful.

 

[Ogre]

I was specifically thinking of the one where the intern installed software so everyone could see your schedule and setup meetings. Dilbert suggests they apply "cubicle justice" on him and Alice says she would but she's in meetings until 3006.

I just flipped through the online archive and picked the first one which was funny and somewhat appropriate.

My bigger point in my first post was the fact that Tesla almost certainly has a vastly different corporate culture than Ford.

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