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  • March 2023
  • Case
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Woven Planet - Designing Software for the Car of the Future

By: Gary P. Pisano and Catherine Piner
  • Format:Print
  • | Language:English
  • | Pages:13
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Abstract

Founded in 2021, Woven Planet Holdings—a subsidiary of Toyota Motor Corporation—was developing Arene, an automotive software platform consisting of an operating system, development and simulation tools, and a cloud-based service that could store and analyze vehicle data. Operating outside of Toyota, CEO Dr. James Kuffner was able to foster the organizational and cultural practices common in the software development world but unusual in the automotive field. This case explores the challenges Kuffner and his team faced as they worked to integrate their platform onto a 2025 Toyota vehicle. Critical questions included: how safe is safe enough for deployment? How should they determine profitability and on what timeline? Working outside of Toyota was one thing, but when the two companies needed to come together, how could Woven Planet maintain their agility while working within the well-established Toyota Production System (TPS)?

Keywords

Technology; Automated Driving; Innovation

Citation

Pisano, Gary P., and Catherine Piner. "Woven Planet - Designing Software for the Car of the Future." Harvard Business School Case 623-064, March 2023.
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About The Author

Gary P. Pisano

Technology and Operations Management
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  • Azenta Life Sciences: The Road to Transformation By: Gary P. Pisano and Catherine Piner
  • Diversification as an Adaptive Learning Process: An Empirical Study of General-Purpose and Market-Specific Technological Know-How in New Market Entry By: Dominika Kinga Randle and Gary P. Pisano
  • Ed Catmull: Lessons from Leading Pixar Animation Studios By: Francesca Gino, Linda Hill, Gary Pisano and Ruth Page
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