My first thought was, “As if Teams didn’t already make you want to drive into a brick wall.”

Mercedes-Benz integrating Teams into its vehicles is a clever (if possibly premature) partnership.

That said, it’s not initially or obviously ambitious. It fits the executive perception and looks ahead to a world of (anticipated) autonomous commutes. Yes, they’re the first OEM to enable in-car camera use when the vehicle is in motion, but that’s less about technology and more about safety and legal qualifications. They’re talking to the folks that were already likely to buy MB and there’s only so much you can do with Teams in a car. The partnership wants to “boost in-car productivity” because being always on at home isn’t enough. However, by extrapolating a couple trajectories towards a convergence, it gets more interesting.

Mercedes’s Drive Pilot is the first consumer vehicle system certified for Level 3 autonomy and the only one available in the US. Which means we’re not that far off from the junior project manager booking your S 580 as a conference room.

This is just the inflection point: as autonomous driving and Teams improves for this use case, the variety of makes, models, platforms, and use cases will increase exponentially. Not just when you’re driving, but when you’re not.

Specifically, Crema’s AEC clients have thousands of folks in the field struggling to contribute in improvised workspaces with some combination of phone in hand, laptop in lap, or whatever built-in communication system the truck has. Or the road warriors salespeople whose vehicles serve as transportation, home office, storage room, lunch table, napping pod, and client valet. Or the digital nomads working from the beach, trailhead, or campsite.

Culturally, I don't think we're quite there yet, but I give them credit for taking a bold step. The ambition isn’t for Teams to be used more often — that’s almost a diversion. The ambition is establishing the brand as the most progressive towards a post-driving era.

While there will be much to critique as this rolls out — and I fully intend to keep my commute sacred for preparation for home & work — there’s a compelling possibility that this opens up more freedom rather than taking it away.