The What It Takes Podcast Ep 12: Car Industry Secrets ft. Rob Farmer

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The Car Industry Secrets | How China Is Beating Everyone at Making Cars ft. Rob Farmer How a car goes from a simple sketch to a vehicle on the road or how a massive company like Nissan decides what to build next? In this episode, we sit down with Rob Farmer, a former top executive at Nissan, to pull back the curtain on the auto industry. From managing a global team of 50 to navigating the massive shifts caused by electric vehicles and AI, Rob shares incredible insider stories. He told us how market research is being revolutionized, why some cars get discontinued, and what it really takes to build a leadership career in a multi-billion-dollar corporation. 💡 In This Episode, We Discuss: ◼️ The 5-year process of building a car and why companies are desperate to cut that time in half ◼️ Managing a global team of 50 people across four countries and the challenges of modern hiring ◼️ Why you can’t just poach talent from Tesla or China and the creative partnerships Nissan used to upskill its workforce ◼️ How AI is creating “synthetic customers” to replace focus groups and get 80% of the insights for 20% of the cost ◼️ The one simple AI tool that saved Rob hours each week and why “unlearning” is the most important career skill ◼️ A behind-the-scenes look at Nissan’s billion-dollar marketing budget and how they track what’s working ◼️ The surprising story behind the Nissan Arya and why its interior space defies expectations ◼️ How and why car companies “kill” a model from the Titan truck to the quirky Cube ◼️ The future of the auto market: the coming split between “blue state” and “red state” car lineups ◼️ Practical career advice on promotions, salary expectations, and balancing ambition with family life ⏱️ Timestamps 00:00 This Is What a Top Executive's Day Actually Looks Like 2:59 You Can't Just Hire the Talent You Need Anymore 7:46 AI Won't Steal Your Job, But Someone Using It Will 10:44 I Saved Hours a Week With This Simple AI Hack 12:02 We Replaced Focus Groups With AI Personalities 17:01 How We Tracked a Billion-Dollar Marketing Budget 21:37 The "Too Small" Car That Surprised Everyone 27:34 From a Simple Idea to a Car on the Road 44:45 Here's the Career Advice I Wish I Knew Sooner 50:50 These Are the Discontinued Cars I Still Miss 🔗 Connect with Rob Farmer LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rob-farmer-1522992/ Website: https://www.rob-farmer.com/ 🔗 Connect with Tuli Kraus X (Twitter): https://x.com/TuliKraus Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/blackbird.recruiting/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tuli-kraus/