As Self-Driving Cars Approach, the Auto Industry Races to Rebuild

When Ford executives started dropping in on Silicon Valley startups a couple of years ago, they were met with less than warm receptions. The stalwart car company was looking for help and fresh talent to help it in the fast-paced development of driverless cars--but it was a stranger in a new land. "We've learned a lot," says CEO Mark Fields. "Simple things like, if you're going to have a purchasing agreement with a startup, you can't walk in with an 80-page legal document. It's got to be two or three pages, saying OK here's how we want to do business."