The problem is, with all the naysayers and luddites, their combined negative outlook slows everything down instead of speeding it up by poisoning popular sentiment which is why it takes an Elon Musk to make electric cars and space companies. It's not that Ford could not have done it, it's that Ford and similar companies are staffed by people terrified to make a decision and try anything new unless it's 100% obvious that the time for a thing has come, which is usually when a competitor starts doing it.
No, in the case of electric cars it's that Ford and the other makers of ICE cars realize that they stand to make a bigger profit with ICE-based cars than with electric cars because maintenance cost of the ICEs is higher and they get a big cut of that pie. Because the barriers to entry in the vehicle production market are so high, it's better for the established players to continue business as usual until either legislation or new successful competitors force them to change.
There are two ways to write error-free programs; only the third one works.