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WSJ Tech News Briefing

Ford’s ‘Modern Model T’ May Be Heading to the EV Scrapyard

WSJ Tech News Briefing

The Wall Street Journal

Tech News, News

4.31.7K Ratings

🗓️ 7 November 2025

⏱️ 11 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Ford is thinking of scrapping the electric version of its F-150 pickup, once hailed as a ‘smartphone that can tow.’ WSJ reporter Sharon Terlep explains why the news is a flashpoint in America’s bumpy road towards EV adoption. Plus, robot swarms are coming. WSJ contributor Jackie Snow is here to tell you why not to panic. Sign up for the WSJ's free Technology newsletter. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0

Sean has had some good ideas over the years, but using Canva was a really good one.

0:08.0

Sean designed some social posts to promote his friend's car boot sale.

0:13.0

They looked good, really, really good.

0:17.0

Next thing he knows, someone came and bought the lot, including the car.

0:24.5

Now Sean doesn't know how he's going to get home.

0:28.0

Thanks, Canva.

0:33.7

Welcome to Tech News Briefing.

0:36.1

It's Friday, November 7th.

0:37.8

I'm Katie Dayton for the Wall Street Journal.

0:40.5

If you're apprehensive about the AI revolution,

0:43.4

just wait until you hear about robots' swarms.

0:47.0

Researchers are working on teaching machines to work together like ant colonies

0:50.7

and achieve more than solo robots ever could.

0:59.0

We'll be hearing about why there's actually a lot to love about this very dystopian-sounding idea. Then, we're driving over to Ford, which, according to people familiar with the matter,

1:04.0

is an active discussion to kill the F-150 Lightning, the electric version of its popular pickup truck.

1:10.0

The decision would make the Lightning America's first major EV casualty and put a dent in the country's electric revolution.

1:21.4

But first, we're talking about swarm robotics.

1:25.2

That's the idea that a group of robots, from a few to a few thousand,

1:29.2

can work together without a centralized controller. WSJ contributor Jackie Snow has been investigating

1:35.4

how that science might show up in everyday life. Jackie, I have to say the term robot swarm

1:41.4

fills me with dread. Should I be worried that the robots are banding together?

1:46.0

No. And I know I feel like this is also maybe one of the most tried and true science fiction stories,

...

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