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I’ve just received this email from a reputable member of our Best and Brightest. I will attempt to contact Fisker today for the official take.
| Date: 7/13/2009 Subject: XXXX Company Inquiry Hi XXX, Is XXXX [name of my company] looking for any program manager or engineering help? The Fisker Hybrid project is in deep financial trouble and I was let go last week. I’ve had enough of automotive and would really like to break into another industry. If you know of anything please pass it along or I can forward a resume. Regards, |
16 Comments on “Wild Ass Rumor of the Day: Fisker in Trouble?...”
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Did anyone NOT see this coming? The Fisker project in a good economy would have a hard time actually making it. I’m curious how that Ponzi scheme Tesla’s still holding on.
Not surprised.
I work in the chemical industry. If this B&B is interested, I can forward his resume to HR> We’re officially not recruiting at this time, but you never know, as we’re developing our product offering. Robert Farago has my work e-mail.
Fisker is doing just fine for as far as its true intended purpose is concerned.
Fisker has never been a serious “car” company. It is an automotive Silicon Valley start-up. The object of the exercise is not to build a car per se but to build a plausible technological concept and then sell out. The Fisker company wants to be either be bought out by a major company for access to its technology, or failing that, go to an IPO.
Either way, the idea is to make money for the directors and principals….. not to actually BUILD cars.
In such schemes, low level engineers are window dressing…. and expendable. Only the name talent is necessary for the sales pitch.
Years ago I toured one the California’s Gold Rush ghost towns. The docent was quite interesting, and I will never forget his most interesting line: “Few people realize that on the whole, a great deal of money was lost in California during the Gold Rush. The value of the gold extracted was less than the sum total of money poured into looking for it. What the Gold Rush really did was to empty the pockets of east coast investor/speculators to the benefit of a few canny operators in the west.”
BTW, that was in 1998 at the height of the Dot Com Boom.
@Lokki: You are right and wrong. Fisker Automotive is not about building cars. Out of the 1500 or so people that it takes to do build a car, Fisker employs about 100 for design and marketing. Everything else is subcontracted. The headlights are made in France, the batteries in Japan, the engines are sourced from GM and the parts are assembled into the final car in Finland (Forbes, July 2009. Car and Driver, August 2009.) Fisker Automotive is a production concept and a technological concept.
You are probably right that Fisker Automotive would like to make money for its principles and investors. You are probably not right that the engineering talent matters a whole lot. Why would it if all manufacturing is outsourced?
“You are probably not right that the engineering talent matters a whole lot. Why would it if all manufacturing is outsourced?”
At what point in the outsourcing model does a business simply become a different kind of a banker? If the business doesn’t actually do any of the doing, isn’t it a bank?
Really now, what EV maker is not in financial trouble.
Ridiculing the health of the company is not exactly the way to make a first impression when seeking a job.
I’m really bummed about this possibility. The Fisker car is absolutely gorgeous and I’ve been looking forward to seeing one on the streets.
Ah, relief. My crystal ball is operating again, was worried for a while.
In today’s market, with Lutz in charge of innovation over at GM, anything’s possible.
Ridiculing the health of the company is not exactly the way to make a first impression when seeking a job.
How did he ridicule the health of the company? If Fisker is indeed deeply troubled financially, why is stating that fact a problem? Maybe it was TMI, but it wasn’t making fun of them.
“DETROIT, July 8 (Reuters) – Quantum Fuel Systems (QTWW.O) said on Wednesday it has signed a $10.2 million contract to support development of plug-in hybrid powertrains for Fisker Automotive”
Seems as if bidnizz is as susual….
Would you hire someone based on such an inquiry? I can’t say that I would. If they are willing to be that blunt about their prior employer, what will they tell others about you? Also, “let go” is rather a vague statement. Was this person laid off because of money problems at Fisker or was this person let go for other reasons and using the financial reason as a cover for being axed for something else?
This letter should be shown in networking seminars.
That is one pathetic plea for work.
“If the business doesn’t actually do any of the doing, isn’t it a bank?”
It is a little gray there. I think that we’re used to the auto companies being true “manufacturers”. That definition does not fit Fisker Automotive. One the one hand, they really only do the design and marketing. On the other hand, they are certainly the defacto manufacturer as they set all of the parameters for the design, pay the suppliers and sell the product.
Fisker Automotive is only outsourced more than a traditional auto company by a few degrees. How much of a GM is GM? Isn’t it a Denso/Lear/Magna/Johnson Controls/etc almost as much as Fisker?