Ford’s CTO Jumps Ship To Lead Software Engineering For Amazon

Ford’s technology chief, Ken Washington, has left his post to become Amazon’s VP of Software Engineering, according to the Detroit Free Press.

Washington’s last day at the auto giant will be July 16. After that, Jim Buczkowski will take over as CTO on an interim basis. Buczkowski is currently a Technical Fellow and the Director of Electrical and Electronics Systems Research and Innovation.

Washington had been with Ford since June 2017, when he joined from Lockheed Martin. While at the defense and aerospace titan he served as the VP of the Advanced Technology Center at Lockheed Martin Space Systems and had been the company’s first Chief Privacy Officer. Prior to joining Lockheed Martin in 2007, Washington served as Chief Information Officer for Sandia National Laboratories.

Washington’s departure is a major blow for Ford as he had been the point man for its development of connected, electric, and autonomous vehicles.

The company can’t likely afford many setbacks as the race to bring a wide array of electric vehicles to market is heating up with stiff competition from legacy rivals like GM and Honda, which have both committed to a 100% electric fleet by 2035 and 2040 respectively. Ford is also under fire from upstart competitors like early mover Tesla, as well as Rivian and Fisker.

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