Ford CEO Jim Farley’s Mic Drop Is a New Spotify Podcast With Celebrity Guests
The Ford chief has lined up guests, including Top Gear America's own Dax Shepard, for a weekly podcast that debuts May 25.
As if running a major automaker during a pivotal time in the industry isn't enough, Ford CEO and President Jim Farley, our 2022MotorTrendPerson of the Year, is taking on a new project: a podcast. For the past six months, the CEO has spent time on weekends (when he tends to be racing or wrenching) fueling his personal curiosity as he chats with a wide spectrum of people from the car world and beyond, including Jimmy Kimmel and Tom Brady.
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The new program is titled "Drive" (hard to believe that name wasn't taken), and it grew out of Farley's weekend musings, recognizing the exec happens to bump into an impressive circle of interesting people. TheDrivepodcast is an extension of a man who sees himself as a lifelong learner, exploring topics such as entrepreneurship and persistence with some of his favorite people, and revealing how people bond over cars.
The first podcast airs May 25 on Spotify and features Dax Shepard, who is one of the hosts of Top Gear Americawhich streams on MotorTrend+. Season 2 returns July 1 with Shepard, actor Rob Corddry, and auto journalist Jethro Bovingdon. Shepard grew up in Detroit, loves cars, and likes making unlikely candidates drive stupidly fast. The interchange should be interesting, given that Shepard has a popular podcast called Armchair Expert, where he is comfortable and colorful behind the mic.
Guests for subsequent podcasts (Driveairs weekly) include: Jimmy Kimmel (host of Jimmy Kimmel Live), Jochen Zeitz (CEO of Harley Davidson), Emelia Hartford (content creator who builds and races cars), Duke of Richmond Charles Gordon-Lennox who founded the Goodwood Festival of Speed and Revival, Patrice Banks (engineer and mechanic who founded The Girls Auto Clinic), and NFL quarterback Tom Brady.
Farley wants to know what they drive, the experiences and values that drive them to success, and how they pursue their passions. Whether they are a C-suiter, gearhead, athlete, celebrity, or friend, Farley wants to talk cars with them, and it's cool that we get to listen.
Alisa Priddle joined MotorTrend in 2016 as the Detroit Editor. A Canadian, she received her Bachelor of Journalism degree from Carleton University in Ottawa, Ontario, and has been a reporter for 40 years, most of it covering the auto industry because there is no more fascinating arena to cover. It has it all: the vehicles, the people, the plants, the competition, the drama. Alisa has had a wonderfully varied work history as a reporter for four daily newspapers including the Detroit Free Press where she was auto editor, and the Detroit News where she covered the GM and Chrysler bankruptcies, as well as auto trade publication Wards, and two enthusiast magazines: Car & Driver and now MotorTrend. At MotorTrend Alisa is a judge for the MotorTrend Car, Truck, SUV and Person of the Year. She loves seeing a new model for the first time, driving it for the first time, and grilling executives for the stories behind them. In her spare time, she loves to swim, boat, sauna, and then jump into a cold lake or pile of snow.
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