Ford CEO Jim Farley, a leader who empowers his team and doesn't hide: he recognizes China's electrical supremacy and warns of the dangers of artificial intelligence.

Things are choppy in Dearborn, Michigan, the longtime headquarters of Ford Motor Co. But in recent months, Donald Trump's tariff frenzy, the technological supremacy of China's electric car industry, and the looming threat of the ineffable, omnipresent AI have created an even greater climate of unease and nervousness at the once all-powerful Ford.

The Blue Oval brand has been led since 2020 by James D. Farley, who assumed the role of president, CEO, and director of the board of directors of Ford Motor Co. in the midst of the pandemic, positions he officially began holding on October 1 of that fateful year. In previous roles, this prestigious North American automotive industry executive, born in Argentina in 1963, joined Ford in 2007 and previously served as Vice President of the United States and Europe Marketing Division at Toyota Motor Corp. and Vice President and General Manager of Lexus Motor Co. He earned an MBA from the University of California, Los Angeles, and a bachelor's degree from Georgetown University.

When he assumed his new responsibilities, Executive Chairman Bill Ford said of Farley, “He is an automotive leader with deep global experience and a successful track record. His collaboration with Jim Hackett, who has led the transformation of Ford Motor Company since 2017 as president and CEO, has resulted in three years of developing and executing the Creating Tomorrow Together plan, which aims to transform Ford into a faster-growing business. Jim’s passion for extraordinary vehicles and intense drive for results are well known, and I have watched him develop into a transformational leader with the determination and foresight to help Ford thrive in the future,” Ford noted.

His selection was influenced by his track record leading Ford's New Business, Technology and Strategy team, helping the company determine how to capitalize on transformative industry strengths such as software platforms, connectivity, artificial intelligence, automation, and new forms of propulsion.

He is said to have a leadership style that motivates and empowers his team, but judging by his most recent statements, his concern for the global situation of this industry, and in particular for the health of the giant he commands, seems to be much more present in his discourse than the confidence and transformative capacity attributed to him as the "captain" of an ocean liner that is beginning to show signs of drifting.

A few weeks ago, as reported by La Vanguardia , he openly stated about the technological supremacy of the Chinese industry applied to electric cars after having traveled to China half a dozen times in the last year: “It's the most humiliating thing I've ever seen. 70% of the world's electric cars are manufactured in China. Their technology and quality are far superior to those of Western cars, at much lower costs. Huawei and Xiaomi are present in every car. They have far superior technology. You get in and you don't have to pair your phone. Automatically, your whole life is reflected in the vehicle.”

The Ford CEO also acknowledged the impossibility of Ford offering something similar, pointing the finger at companies like Google and Apple, which decided not to enter the automotive business. “We're in a global competition with China, and it's not just about electric vehicles. And if we lose this, we won't have a future at Ford,” Farley declared. Without fear of criticism, and to demonstrate his bewilderment and pessimism, he openly admitted: “I bought a Xiaomi SU7 that was brought to me directly from China six months ago, and I wouldn't trade it for anything.”

During the Aspen Ideas Festival (United States), Farley also focused on an employee profile that could suffer significantly from the arrival of generative artificial intelligence: white-collar workers. According to the Ford executive, a very high percentage of those who perform "office" jobs, such as secretarial work, accounting, management, administration, or customer service, will eventually become redundant: "Artificial intelligence is literally going to replace half of all white-collar workers," Farley remarked.

But before that happens, there are other risks that this executive has also repeatedly warned about. Farley has openly criticized Donald Trump's tariff policies, positioning himself as one of the most outspoken business leaders in his opposition to the current White House president's protectionist policies, especially the proposals that would affect imports from Mexico and Canada, expressing concern about "the costs and chaos" that these tariffs could generate for the US auto industry. He has warned that the tariffs could be "devastating" and could create "a hole in US industry the likes of which we've never seen," as he told Bloomberg. Faced with this dilemma, Ford is considering measures to mitigate the impact of the tariffs, such as stockpiling inventory or mass layoffs.

President Trump's decisions, including the imposition of new tariffs on products from any foreign country, as well as the elimination of incentives for the purchase of electric cars, with tax credits of up to $7,500 implemented by the Joe Biden administration, could force the Detroit company to lay off some 13,000 employees, mostly from plants located in Michigan, Kentucky and Tennessee, all of them factories that have been key in the transition to electric mobility and that have been the subject of significant investments in recent years.

But despite the apocalyptic predictions and the need to implement drastic cuts across the company, there's one aspect that shouldn't worry Farley, and that's his financial health, more than guaranteed by the emoluments he receives. In 2024, he received compensation as CEO of $24,861,866 for his services to the company, an amount reduced by 6.1% compared to the $26.5 million he received in 2023. Clearly, his compensation is a drop in the ocean, but it's still an interesting fact.