Ford is hiring Peter Stern, the former Apple vice president of services who helped build up the company’s streaming TV operation, to lead its effort to improve customers’ software experience.
Stern left Apple at the beginning of the year after a six-year tenure heading up the launch of a portfolio of services, including Apple TV Plus, Apple News Plus, Apple Arcade, Apple Fitness Plus, MLS Season Pass, and Apple One.
At Ford, he will be tasked with building “a world-class team to create and market innovative customer experiences by integrating hardware, software and services across Ford Blue, Model e and Ford Pro,” the company said. Stern will report directly to Ford CEO Jim Farley.
“The biggest change in our industry is to go to a digital product and physical services”
“The biggest change in our industry is to go to a digital product and physical services. That intersection is why Peter Stern is at the company,” Farley said in a brief Q&A with reporters Monday. “There is simply no one on the planet better able to lead this than Peter Stern.”
Stern joins another Apple veteran at the Blue Oval: Doug Field, who served as VP of special projects. Field was the de facto head of Apple’s efforts to make an autonomous electric car known as Project Titan.
Stern said he will be “tied at the hip” with Field, who now leads the company’s Ford Model e division overseeing the development of new vehicle technology, including EVs, hands-free driving features, and software services.
Stern said he will be “tied at the hip” with Field
Car companies are increasingly turning to monthly and annual subscriptions for certain digital products, including semi-autonomous driving features, as a new source of revenue. Consumer advocates say that the industry risks angering customers by charging for services they previously would pay for only once — or not at all.
But Stern rejected the idea that companies like Ford were “nickel and diming” customers by introducing new subscription services. “The opportunity that we have is to deliver significant ongoing value to our customers,” he said. “And when we do that right, customers will sign up, not only for individual à la carte services, but I think we’ll also create bundles of services that make it really easy for customers to get the most out of their vehicles.”
He added, “I firmly believe that when services deliver value to the customer, it’s appropriate for customers to pay for those services.”
