So, I watched that segment twice.
First, I think it wasn't his place to discuss why TFL broke it and share the details from Sheldon. I've spoken to Toyota about it myself and I'm not sharing my information. It isn't my place.
I can understand why he brought it up, it is the proverbial Elephant in the room. He also explained it in a factual way with a good presentation of the information. I've just found those kinds of things always back fire on you.
For instance, the commenters are saying Mark said: "Had to further idiot proof the truck b/c of TFL."
That's not his exact quote at all. And the term "idiot proof" is slang used throughout the industry.
Second, Toyota addressed the issue and made changes. Problem solved. I think Mark would want to take back his words with the reaction from the audience.
He could have said something like "Toyota responded quickly to the issue TFL had by updating the software."
That's really what Toyota ultimately did. They investigated the issue, figured out how it happened and updated the software for those kinds of situations.
Again, the term "idiot proof" is being taken as an attack on TFL and it really isn't what he is saying.
Third, I did watch TFL's video on it. My take away was a combination of things happened that lead to the issue and I think the internet blew it out of proportion. The truck slipped, Roman panicked for a split second (as most any human would do put under stress at that moment) and a part failed. I think what people miss is the truck still drove back to the office. It didn't "fail." It didn't need to be towed out. It just had a malfunction really that turned out to be software.
The ADD part isn't "the weak link" as people have suggested to me. They have used that part for years now.
The only thing I would have done differently is I wouldn't have released that video right away. Instead, I would have called Toyota and talked about it. They could have sent Sheldon or another engineer out and discussed it. Would it have gotten as many clicks? Probably not.
For example. this video I did on my 2022 Tundra got 173k views. I explained what happened and discussed the resolution to the problem:
I probably made a mistake with that video. I should have released it and said, "my truck broke in 6 days!" That's just not how I want to do business.
Now, it is easy to use hindsight and I've certainly rushed a video out here or there. I've learned and continue to learn from my mistakes.
TFL did do a follow-up video afterwards showing the same spot where the part broke. And? That didn't get nearly the views.
I'm further committed to my thinking that people want to see things fail right now. They want to see trucks fail, people fail or companies fail to solidify their viewpoint. They don't necessarily care about facts. They want to see something that matches their negative viewpoint.
#mytwocents
