you'te a tough one Kevo I give you that.... simply picked Ford...

you'te a tough one Kevo I give you that.... simply picked Ford as an example of an Auto OEM who initially thought (for a long time) that "Vertical Integration" was the "holy grail" of manufacturing.

Does Tesla make its own batteries? Yes partly but it also uses Panasonic primarily. Does Tesla make steel - No - OK that's old school thinking right. Does TSLA make chips (not fries) - No. Does it design them - No .... but it does write a lot of bespoke software
Do I need to continue?

Specialization exists in just about all industries - what about that hasbeen industry we still all rely on - Oil & Gas. Sure you have Integrated O&G companies like Exxon/Chevron/BP to name a few that explore/drill/develop/refine/ship/sell to consumers - an entire integrated supply chain, but you also have just oil drillers like Pioneer/EOG that sell oil to Refiners (or integrated oil companies), you have just refiners like Phillips66 and Marathon that buy oil from independent drillers, refine it and sell those refined products either under their branded petroleum outlets or to a "White Label" brand - like Wal-Mart and CostCo.

You're also cherry picking - calling mining & refining as vertical integration .... it doesn't stop there ... lol back at you.

I get the feeling I'm a lot more "experienced" (or just plain older) than you may be - probably forgotten more too.

Whatever the decisions our appointed management make one can only hope they have fully evaluated where the returns are going to be and how much its going to cost to get us there (and once there are we capable of competing).