Apple Car Challenges: Sobering Thoughts
Starting from scratch is such a monumental feat. Why wouldn&#x27;t Apple just use it&#x27;s cash reserves and buy out an existing car maker? They could literally buy pretty much any automaker they want, why not start with something like Fiat Chrysler, for a bargain basement price of $10B?<p>I&#x27;m a supply chain guy. I work for a company with one of the top peer-rated supply chains in the world and Apple is still so far ahead of us that it isn&#x27;t even funny. Apple could, with minimal comparative effort (as in, easier than any other company, not <i>easily</i>), translate their manufacturing supply chain knowledge towards automotive manufacturing and optimize it to the point of absurd superiority over every other automaker out there. That alone could change the profitability of the company significantly toward self-sustainability within a matter of a 3-4 years. Throw in a well funded software and hardware research division, poach the top specialized auto manufacturing talent, and you have a recipe for the next Toyota or (forgive the faux pas) VW.<p>But if you start from scratch, you are going to be 10 years away from making a dent in the market, regardless of how much expertise you have.