Detroit People

It's no secret that Detroit has problems. We know it; the world knows it. It's nothing new. Recalling back to a business trip that I was on in 2005 in the city of Shenzen, China just across the bridge from Hong Kong, I was approached by a shrewd paper napkin salesmen. He was well travelled and knew how to traverse the conversations of the many westerners whom he connected with. When told where I was from, he gave the wide-eyed universal violence sign of the thumb triggered, finger pointing, hand-gun. No words were necessary. We both knew; Detroit has problems.

Gloom is such a feeling of second nature here that people are surprised to hear good news. A good friend's father, a year ago, was forced into early retirement after having worked at a GM plant since he was 17. That friend's father and I were sitting together watching ABC News one day; bonding. The program eventually came around to GM. "Which plant did they close." he asked. He hadn't heard the punchline, an uptick actually. GM had announced earlier that day that they wouldn't be needing the 2 billion dollars that had previously been set aside for their cash drain. A small victory, where victories are hard to come by. "Actually, they just refused some government funding." I replied. "Oh." he said with indifference. This was not news. News is when one of his comrades takes the fall, loses another job. Another family gets put to the grindstone and they are forced to try to make ends meet. That is news. Detroit news.

ABC had moved on to a clip about some laid-off GM employees who were now volunteering to teach children in their newly found spare time. The ending punchline: "...maybe someday they will need a return favor." I suppose this was the media's feeble attempt to give UAW workers some credit. Credit where credit is due. "That's where we build our vans." my friend's father announced. He was bleeding pride. You could smell it through his pores. "Good people." he said. Good people indeed. Good people who have good families and good children. They taught their kids manners and how to live within their means. Remember the 30-year mortgage? Yes, these are the people that actually paid them off and didn't get home equity loans. They sent their kids to college for better education and always put others first. They are forthright, honest people. Detroit people.

Detroit, I'm bleeding with you, and I also bleed pride. But Pride alone cannot save this industry. In this blog I hope to provide insight on how to fix the auto industry at the root causes: Communication and Design. Hint: It involves openness and the web. Social interactivity and crowdsourcing. All of the constructs of a successful web2.0 entity, neatly packed together. In the words of the Facebook founder and CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, elegantly organized.

I hope to open the heart of the industry for all to understand and feedback on. Not as a journalist from NYC with idealist web-views (Sorry Jeff Jarvis, loved the book though) or an Alabama politician. I work for a German auto supplier on driver's assistance products that we are developing for GM. This work is done together with GM at the infamous 'Tech Center' in Warren, MI; the main development center for GM vehicles. I am not afraid to say that if communication and design are the problem, then I too am part of that problem. Detroit, it's time to move forward.  Listen and open your minds and you can learn the ways to carry your industry to the next level. By digging in as you always have, on the backs of hard-working Americans. Good people. Detroit people.