Ford hires ex-Apple TV Plus chief Peter Stern to lead the customer software team

Ford said it is hiring Peter Stern, the former Apple vice president of services who helped build up the company’s streaming TV operation, to lead its effort to improve customers’ software experience.

Stern left Apple at the beginning of the year after a six-year tenure heading up the launch of a portfolio of services, including Apple TV Plus, Apple News Plus, Apple Arcade, Apple Fitness Plus, MLS Season Pass, and Apple One.

At Ford, he is being tasked with building “a world-class team to create and market innovative customer experiences by integrating hardware, software and services across Ford Blue, Model e and Ford Pro,” the company said. Stern will report directly to Ford CEO Jim Farley.

“This is transformational, because the cornerstone of our Ford+ plan is creating incredible customer services and experiences enabled by great hardware and software,” Farley said in a statement. “There’s simply no one in the world better able than Peter Stern to build this strategically vital part of our business.”

Stern joins another Apple veteran at the Blue Oval: Doug Field, who served as VP of special projects. Field was the de facto head of Apple’s efforts to make an autonomous electric car known as Project Titan.