Nair's departure took effect "immediately," and was abrupt enough that Ford doesn't have a replacement lined up.

The exit comes right as scrutiny over sexual harassment is reaching a fever pitch in many industries. While it's not certain Nair left for that reason, zero-tolerance policies on harassment are increasingly commonplace -- companies don't want to be seen as tolerating harassment, regardless of a worker's position or experience.

And in Ford's case, that experience played an important part in its technology decisions. Nair had previously been Ford's CTO and head of global product development before assuming the president role in June 2017, and led the brand's shift in focus toward self-driving cars, phone-savvy infotainment and mobility services. Ford's technology efforts won't necessarily go awry, but the brand will have to regroup at the same time as it improves its corporate culture.