Maybe. Could also be that a car project is much more complex with more opportunities for "battl[ing] about the project's direction." One manager wants to emphas

Maybe. Could also be that a car project is much more complex with more opportunities for "battl[ing] about the project's direction." One manager wants to emphasize a modern cockpit, one an electric drivetrain, and one full autonomy. And a leader that understands consumer electronics well enough to navigate "an iPod, a phone, and an internet communicator" might not understand cars enough to navigate a car project the same way. Thus, we get Mansfield in to say "no, we're focusing on this first; we don't have a car without it." This would be like Jobs (or Forstall) coming in to say "we're focusing on a multi-touch OS X first; we don't have a phone without it." So, to answer your question: maybe. :)