Automakers go head-on with Silicon Valley to recruit talent

As cars become increasingly software-driven, the automakers are recasting themselves as promising venues for software engineers. Excerpt: "U.S. automakers have embarked on an ambitious drive to hire software "codaholics," an effort that is increasingly pitting Detroit against its technology partners in Silicon Valley… Four years after a sweeping industry restructuring that included massive job cuts, Ford and its U.S. rivals need to hire thousands of engineers at a time when software is playing a much more prominent role in vehicle design than even a few years ago. Millions of lines of computer code increasingly govern core vehicle functions like braking and air-conditioning. Electronic parts including sensors and microcontrollers, used in laptop computers and smartphones, are the backbone of such vehicles. The shift has General Motors Co, Ford and Chrysler Group LLC vying for a new kind of talent — engineers with software, electronic and computer network skills — that has typically ignored Detroit…." More here.