Ford Motor Co. is cutting about 350 connected-vehicle software jobs in the United States and Canada. The reductions amount to about 5% of the connected-vehicle software team.
The affected employees were notified starting Tuesday. They work on projects that include the Ford and Lincoln Digital Experiences. This is the latest-generation infotainment software in Ford’s vehicles.
Ford said in a statement, “We consistently review our organization to make sure we are operating efficiently and effectively in a fast-paced and dynamic environment. We are making changes within our Connected Vehicle Software team to ensure we have the right talent and organization to deliver the world’s best next-generation connected vehicles. This will include some separations.”
The cuts are not in response to U.S. import tariffs.
They are also unrelated to Ford’s recent decision to stop the development of a next-generation electrical software architecture dubbed FNV4 due to high costs and delays. CEO Jim Farley said on an earnings call last week that the company has integrated efforts from FNV4 into FNV3 for advanced electric architectures.
Ford cuts connected-vehicle jobs
These architectures are applicable to both gas-powered and electric vehicles. “Our strategy hasn’t changed. It’s a very significant save for capital efficiency,” Farley said.
“We simply merged our two Ford zonal electric architectures into one. This is very important for the company because our software is going faster than we expected and the advanced electric architectures allow us to deliver software to the vehicles and customers in a more efficient way.”
Ford has stated its goal to generate $1 billion from software and service sales as soon as this year. In March, the company had 800,000 paid subscribers, mostly from its commercial vehicle business, Ford Pro.
Ford last year also announced plans to cut 4,000 jobs in Europe by 2027. Workers in Cologne, Germany, have voiced concerns over job security. Software is an area in which other companies have also made workforce adjustments.
General Motors Co. in August restructured its software strategy following bumpy EV launches, impacting its software and services organization globally.
Noah Nguyen is a multi-talented developer who brings a unique perspective to his craft. Initially a creative writing professor, he turned to Dev work for the ability to work remotely. He now lives in Seattle, spending time hiking and drinking craft beer with his fiancee.
