Support CleanTechnica’s work through a Substack subscription or on Stripe.
The auto world has been changing fast, but it is likely to change a lot more in the coming 5–10 years. The market is going to keep electrifying, whether legacy automakers like it or not. Furthermore, after decades of simple driver-assist technologies like cruise control, we are venturing into a world of eyes-off, hands-off technology that is growing in its geographic application. It’s not just about improving engine technology a little bit, redesigning models to look modern, and throwing in a little bit more tech year after year. We’re talking pretty dramatic changes.
Some legacy auto executives and their boards of directors recognize that dramatic changes are coming. Others don’t understand or buy into the new tech and are just counting on business as usual. Where does GM’s board fall? We may find out soon(ish), or not. It’s unclear, but there is some murmuring about a potential change at the top — and that could mean a lot.
The company has been a mixed bag on electrification and on autonomous driving. You’ve got the Chevy Volt’s early leadership, the Chevy Bolt, and more recently the quite popular Chevy Equinox EV and Chevy Blazer EV doing alright. Probably a bigger deal than these, Cadillac has been electrifying faster than any other legacy automaker. 40% of new Cadillac sales in the 3rd quarter were electric in the US. Is it interested in slowing down and ceding its leadership position to other brands? Or does the board recognize that GM as a whole should be electrifying faster and needs to stay ahead of the curve?
GM also had Cruise robotaxis on the road, but an unfortunate incident led to them shutting down a couple of years ago. Now, however, Waymo is expanding rapidly, Tesla’s “Full Self Driving” has been improving and getting close to true driverless deployment, and other driver-assist technology packages are at a similar stage. GM needs to keep progressing quickly on ADAS and self-driving capability in consumer cars, at least, in order to not be left behind.
That all brings us to the recent news.
There’s murmuring that former Tesla executive and Aurora Innovation cofounder Sterling Anderson could be the next CEO of GM. Note that Mary Barra has been CEO for a decade, one of the longest running tenures in the S&P 500 (double the median). Being in charge since 2014, she was CEO when GM developed and released the Chevy Bolt, and also as Cadillac made its big electrification push. But GM hasn’t exactly been revolutionary, and acquiring a robotaxi company and then shutting it down is not an exciting, uplifting move.
Sterling Anderson was in charge of Autopilot development when he was at Tesla, and also in charge of Model X development. He joined the company in 2015. However, he apparently clashed with Elon Musk on how to develop self-driving technology, and thus departed the in 2016. Right after departing, he cofounded Aurora with Chris Urmson, formerly a leader of Google’s self-driving car project, which became Waymo. Aurora actually has self-driving trucks in operation in Texas, but it’s unclear what is really going on with the startup’s development and how much potential it has for scaling up and expanding geographically.
Anderson joined GM in June. He is “its global product chief, overseeing the development of all gas-powered and electric vehicles,” the WSJ/MSN reports. “He has expanded his influence in recent months, taking over units that develop artificial intelligence and integrate software into GM vehicles.
“His rise is shaking up a succession landscape complicated by years of tumult and turnover in GM’s headquarters. Anderson’s decision to leave Aurora Innovation, the self-driving trucking company he co-founded and that is now valued at $8 billion, to join the ranks of GM left some puzzled.”
Indeed. Why leave a developing, promising self-driving startup in 2025? Well, the explanation seems to be that Anderson sees a lot of potential for improvement at GM and wants to be a big part of that. “Sterling saw GM as kind of a company that has lost its way a little bit and saw an opportunity to go and help,” said Aurora cofounder and CEO Chris Urmson. “He thought he could go there and help point the right direction.”
Mary Barra has been at GM for more than 40 years, since leaving college. GM President Mark Reuss has been at the company for 40 years, was in contention for the CEO role when Barra got it, and has been Barra’s #2 for 6+ years. Going about things as GM has in the past, Reuss would be a logical next choice for CEO. Anderson actually reports directly to Reuss at GM’s Mountain View Tech Center in Silicon Valley. Paul Jacobson, GM CFO who left Delta Air Lines, is considered another top option. However, if the company really has an eye on serious tech innovation and leadership in this new era, Anderson seems like a top option, especially if what he’s been doing at GM is going well.
On that note, the WSJ/MSN adds the following: “Within GM, Anderson’s arrival was cheered by many employees involved in the automaker’s self-driving technology, still stinging from GM’s move last year to end the Cruise program. Anderson has rehired some key Cruise staffers and, in internal meetings, praised the unit and its progress on the technology.” He is currently leading a project to bring eyes-off driving to an electric Cadillac in 2028. “Employees in wider parts of the GM universe are less sold on Anderson. Some question the wisdom of bringing back Cruise leaders, given missteps at the unit. The new boss irked some within GM’s ranks when, in a recent town hall, he defended the company’s use of a controversial performance-ranking system to grade employees.”
Hmm….
Anderson reportedly still codes in his free time and plays hockey in a Silicon Valley hockey league. He’s only 42 years old and got a doctorate in robotics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Significantly younger than Elon Musk (54), with an actual top degree in robotics from a top tech university, and vast experience in self-driving technology and EVs over the last decade plus — that’s got to be a compelling package for the GM board. However, they probably want to see how things go with the projects Anderson is currently leading and how he gets along with other leadership and employees. GM has had a number of people come from Silicon Valley in recent years and not last long. “The way things are going, you just want someone from Silicon Valley to stick around for more than six to nine months,” Morningstar analyst David Whiston summed it up. Also, it’s not even clear when Barra (64) would no longer be #1. recently asked how long she’d remain at GM, she responded, “That’s the board’s decision, not mine.” Hmm….
I don’t know enough about Anderson as a person and how well I think he’d suit the role of CEO of GM. But looking at things on paper like this (or on the web, I should say), it seems like the kind of move GM should make. Someone with real EV and self-driving tech chops should be leading the company, it seems. Let’s see if Anderson can make significant ADAS/self-driving progress at GM in the next couple of years. If he can, I would think he should succeed Barra and become its next CEO.
GM itself, however, says the following for now: “Sterling came to General Motors in June 2025, and holds the position of Chief Product Officer. Any discussion of a future role is premature and speculative.”
Sign up for CleanTechnica’s Weekly Substack for Zach and Scott’s in-depth analyses and high level summaries, sign up for our daily newsletter, and follow us on Google News!
Advertisement
Have a tip for CleanTechnica? Want to advertise? Want to suggest a guest for our CleanTech Talk podcast? Contact us here.
Sign up for our daily newsletter for 15 new cleantech stories a day. Or sign up for our weekly one on top stories of the week if daily is too frequent.
[embedded content]
CleanTechnica uses affiliate links. See our policy here.
CleanTechnica’s Comment Policy
Share this story!