desmi schreef op 15 juni 2017 21:05:
Exclusive: talks between Google / Waymo & Ford on self driving cars died because Sergey was too cheap
twitter.com/amir/status/8743418339747...(http://www.autonews.com/article/20170529/OEM/170529795/google-ford-deal-mark-fields) on Ford CEO Mark Fields being fired was over the failed deal with Waymo:
Sources with knowledge of the talks said the deal came undone because Fields' enthusiasm for Wall Street's reaction didn't mesh with Google's desire to lay the groundwork for a quiet, technical partnership in which each side learned from the other before deciding how to move forward.
Google was comfortable with the Silicon Valley approach of "frenemies" — sometimes partnering with competitors so each side can learn something. That concept seemed anathema to Ford, sources said.
from later in the article (Early 2015):
The deal would not be exclusive: Google was free to collaborate with other automakers. **But Ford argued that the partnership had to be big enough to make sense for the automaker and said it needed a large-scale commitment to justify the costs. Only a strategic partnership with long-term commitments would convince Wall Street this deal was beneficial to both sides, Ford said.**
Google hires John Krafcik to be CEO in Sept 2015.
In early December 2015, Fields came to Silicon Valley to discuss the deal with Google co-founder Sergey Brin. In a region where there are so many electric cars that office workers often argue over charging stations to plug in their Teslas and Nissan Leafs during the workday, Fields showed up at Google with an army of staffers in a fleet of Lincoln Navigators. Sources said Fields and his team were armed with a plan to make a big splash out of the partnership news, and much of the discussion centered around making an impression on Wall Street.
The culture clash between the two companies was becoming evident. Google began to reconsider the deal.
Appears both stories jive. Brin (probably with guidance from Krafcik) was looking for a smaller deal and they got that from FCA. [Marchionne](http://www.autonews.com/article/20160506/OEM06/160509907/marchionne-says-fca-google-deal-on-pacifica-is-first-phase-of) has been pretty clear they are not getting anything really from Waymo and hope to strike a bigger longer term deal later on.
“This first phase of the operation is very targeted. It’s designed to take Google technology into the minivan. It’s very, very focused,” Marchionne told reporters today prior to a celebration marking the launch of the 2017 Chrysler Pacifica minivan.
“There’s a very clear objective and a very clear timeline. What develops from here? We’ll see.”
and this
“We need to be able to walk this transition, and I think walking in a collaborative fashion with people who have historically been viewed as intruders and potential enemies of our business,” Marchionne said. **“Walking with them at their speed is the best possible solution for us in terms of determining what our future state will be.”**