Disruption is a looming reality for pretty much everyone in business these days. For digital-native companies, another digital-native company with a newer or smarter technology could come in and take them out. Many non-digital-native companies feel like sitting ducks. Silicon Valley contains a universe of technology that might well do their jobs better than them, if only some savvy startup could work out the kinks. One company’s proactive response is: We can’t be disrupted by a competitor if we disrupt ourselves first.

Jeff Frick (@JeffFrick), cohost of theCUBE, from the SiliconANGLE Media team, kicked off the Further With Ford 2016 event in Dearborn, Michigan, speaking about the state of automotive. He mentioned the ride-sharing apps that have already changed the way people see car ownership; he also spoke about the autonomous vehicles, which promise to alter the automotive world even more dramatically.

During the event, theCUBE spoke with Ford insiders about “disruption, changes in the way cars are powered with hybrids and electronics, changes in ownership patterns with ride sharing versus individual ownership,” Frick said.

Multi-modal

Frick stated that Ford is trying to embrace consumers’ changing views about the individually owned automobile as the sole mode of transit. The company has announced it will be starting a bike company in several cities, and it has purchased ride-sharing service Chariot in San Francisco.

Ford is apparently serious about becoming a tech-integrated company, for one, because, “They’ve trippled the size of their Palo Alto presence,” Frick said.

Watch the complete video interview below, and be sure to check out more of SiliconANGLE and theCUBE’s coverage of Further With Ford 2016.

Photo by SiliconANGLE