Ford's rationale for increasing the wage for his workers, as laid out by him, was to make it so every Ford employee could buy a Ford car.
If you're curious, and want to know more about Ford Motor Company, I highly recommend a book called Wheels for the World by Douglas Brinkley. (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/067003181X/) Ford opened its full archives to the author, and it covers their entire history, warts and all.
It was about seeing off an incipient threat. IWW were quite active at the time. Amazon's goal last year was similar when they raised wages even though they refused to recognize the union.
>Ford's rationale for increasing the wage for his workers as laid out by him, was to make it so every Ford employee could buy a Ford car.
Which was obviously bullshit. The effect employees buying cars could have had on the bottom line was far outstripped by the increased wage bill.
For the same reason why luddites were and still are depicted as crusaders against technology: it's a convenient narrative for some.
Ford, the company, along with GM gave up that system half a century later for a more rigid system that included more outsourcing but had the upside of being impermeable to strikes. Toyota on the other hand continued the flexible system along with the higher cost of labor and royally outsmarted the American companies in the 70s.
The role of organized labor shouldn't be ignored. And neither should the competitve advantage of working with well-skilled and well-contented labor.