leaving gm

it’s with great disappointment to share that i’m stepping down from my role at GM. since late last year, i’ve been facing some serious health issues involving my heart that have not improved. as a father and husband, i need to prioritize my recovery and be with my family with the hope that my health will improve over time.?

i’m so proud of the impact my team and I were able to have in the short time i led software and services at GM. ?

i leave incredibly confident in that team of VPs in software and services that represent the best of any automaker out there. some have long-served at GM and some have joined from Apple, Google, Meta, Amazon and more. together in short order, they accomplished sweeping organizational and process changes that have already shown immediate improvements in software development, validation and quality. they are just getting started on what i know will be great things to come for GM.?

as this will be my last uncapitalized newsletter entry for now, i want to take the opportunity to talk specifically about working with Mary Barra. i came to GM because i believe in the vision, the people and, most especially, Mary. i think Wall Street and the industry dramatically underestimate Mary and therefore GM, but i leave with even more assurance than ever in GM’s future under her.?

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i first met Mary in early 2023 regarding the role of sw and GM’s mission. we shared a connection, both as engineers but also to Stanford—she as a GSB alum and me as an adjunct lecturer in the CS department. i was immediately struck by her authentic, inclusive and effective leadership style. what you see is what you get with Mary. to the surprise of many of our colleagues who left the tech industry to join GM, she was the ultimate catalyst. it takes a certain conviction to see a need and do what it takes to make deep changes at a company with the size and history of GM. in joining GM, i quickly began to see that in action.??

Mary’s track record speaks to her steadfastness and efficacy as a leader. when i was researching GM before joining, i was struck by the challenges she surmounted in her first five years. she stepped in as CEO when the company was still reeling from bankruptcy. she immediately faced an ignition switch crisis and led the company through that period with a level of empathy and strength that the world rarely sees in CEOs, while also accepting full accountability and making sweeping enterprise changes to prioritize safety at all costs. she transformed GM’s culture and the impact of that is still felt today. safety, integrity and doing what’s right for the customer are ingrained in every GMer.??

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she also took on a company that valued scale and market domination over product excellence. customers were often frustrated, and the company was losing money. as an engineer, Mary couldn’t live with this inefficiency, so she went to work. she pulled GM from major markets like Europe, South Africa, Russia, and India. she put performance over ego and doubled down on product quality. her moves must have shocked the industry and investors, but as i’ve learned, Mary isn’t afraid of the naysayers.?

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during Mary’s second five years at GM, she has laid out a powerful vision for electric, software-defined and autonomous vehicles. she clearly saw not only the impact technology would have on her industry, but the benefits it could bring to customers.??

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she announced our commitment to an all-electric future back in 2017 and started investing in a proprietary EV platform, called Ultium. she also has been building out a software and services organization to support that future. and this is where I came in – to have the honor of helping shape the organization.?

transforming a company – especially one that is as iconic and traditional as GM is never easy. she has to juggle the rise of aggressive competitors, the demands of wall street, shifting mindsets of employees, and customer expectations – which are at the same time rapidly evolving and wedded to the past, but Mary understands that all will have a different pace on the journey.?

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i’ve talked about the lasting impact that “The Coach” Bill Campbell had on my life. in a short time, Mary now falls in that elite category of those few individuals who have shown me true leadership — with her confidence, humility, boldness and integrity. it’s difficult for me to step away from working with Mary?and the rest of the GM leadership team, but i will remain an advisor to her whenever needed and as my health allows.?

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thanks to my team, all my friends and colleagues at GM, supporters in the industry and readers of this newsletter. most especially, i am so grateful for my wife and daughter who have been by my side supporting me through this very difficult time with my health. ?

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onward,

mike?