Short answers, pulled from the story.
James Duncan Farley Jr., born on the 10th of June, 1962, is an American businessman who serves as CEO of Ford Motor Company. He also sits on the board of McDonald's and previously served on the board of Harley-Davidson.
Ford announced on the 4th of August, 2020, that Farley would succeed Jim Hackett as CEO, effective the 1st of October, 2020. Hackett then retired and became a special advisor to the company.
Farley was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, to a father who worked as a banker. He spent his early years there before the family moved to Greenwich, Connecticut.
Before joining Ford in November 2007, Farley was group vice president and general manager of Lexus. In that role he was responsible for all sales, marketing, and customer satisfaction for Toyota's luxury brand.
Farley served on the Harley-Davidson board of directors from July 2021 to February 2026, part of an effort to revitalize the motorcycle maker and prepare it for electrification. In February 2026 he was elected to the McDonald's board of directors, effective the 4th of February, 2026.
In July 2025, Farley predicted that "artificial intelligence is going to replace literally half of all white-collar workers in the U.S." He did not specify which industries or roles he expected to be affected first.