John Paul MacDuffie
Professor of Management

Fast-Moving Vehicle & Mobility Ecosystems: How Much Disruption and How Soon?

The transformation of the mobility sector — encompassing the automotive sector and new entrants from the technology sector but also the providers of mobility services — has captured the attention of established incumbents, aspiring entrepreneurs, analysts/consultants, policy makers, and activists. Mobility of individuals and goods underpins a key part of global GDP; provides livelihoods and boosts convenience and quality of life; generates externalities (e.g. congestion; greenhouse gas emissions; energy dependence; injuries/deaths); and affects us all daily. This talk gives particular attention to the distinctive societal expectations placed upon those who build and operate motor vehicles —which are fast-moving, heavy objects that can kill people and destroy property while operating entirely in public space. These expectations will affect the pace of the transition from the current human, and carbon fuels-based mobility system to the autonomous and electric future system that so many now eagerly (or fearfully) anticipate. He will also emphasize the challenges facing both incumbent and new entrant firms as waves of disruptive technologies and new business models arise — and the likelihood that automotive and tech firms will need to collaborate, less out of preference than necessity.