I began to take on the life of being an interviewer, even though i have a day job of running a private equity firm. How do you define leadership . What is it that makes somebody tick . Do you get tired of people asking you what it feels like to be a woman ceo of any company . You know, i think i was surprised by it. Because i think when people started asking, it really was a reflection on the Auto Industry and what people thought of the Auto Industry. Ive grown up in it and, you know, frankly, i wouldnt be sitting here today as the chairman and ceo if not 20 years ago people hadnt taken chances on me to develop me. It was a bit surprising, but, you know, now if i can be a role model for other young girls to pursue engineering careers or pursue math and science, thats a good thing. But, you know, it is a question that gets asked probably more than it should. When you joined General Motors you graduated from high school, you went at the age of 18, did you expect you could rise up, that any woman could rise up to be the ceo at that time . You know, i think i had no even vision that was something i could achieve. I was studying engineering and loved it. So i was looking to pursue a career in engineering. So, again, ive just wonderful opportunity in my career to, as you said, work in so many different areas, great mentors. So i feel very fortunate. When you were announced as ceo, did you hear from High School Classmates who told you they always knew you were terrific, were gonna be the ceo . Did you get a lot of that . Or did you find people laughing at your jokes more . What happened when you became ceo . Well, you know i dont think i had any High School Classmates that said, we knew this was gonna happen, but, you know, i have to say there was an outreach from people that i hadnt met or talked to in a while that were very positive. So it was really heartwarming, all the positive messages that i got from, you know, people that my path had crossed with them at some point in our life. Did your children treat you with more respect after yo got to be ceo or no . Come on, they are kids, so. No. My son very aptly reminded me last mothers day that your most important job is mom. Okay. So. So today, as you look at General Motors, what are the most important challenges that you face in running the company . Well, right now the Auto Industry we are seeing more change than weve seen in the last 50 years. When you look at just think about the cars you drive today and rewind five to ten years ago. Think about what you do in your car. You want your smart phone connected, you have, you know, a lot of safety features all around you. Were working on autonomous. And youre driving electric vehicles, or at least you have the option to. And so when we look at how the industry is being transformed, were changing the way people are gonna get from point a to point b. So its a very exciting time, but its also you know, there is no its were moving at a really rapid pace because we are competing with silicon valley. Lets talk about autonomous cars. Autonomous is a euphemism for Driverless Cars, right . People dont like to say driverless because it scares people. Or not its not true . No. So have you been in a driverless car . Your board of directors let you go in a driverless car . If its [audience laughing] if its from General Motors, i think yes. And i actually have ridden in one of our vehicles. You know, we have test vehicles. Now, they do have a safety we call them a trainer in the vehicle. But ive ridden in the cars in san francisco. And its really quite astonishing to see what these cars are able to do. And were seeing progress on a you know, almost a weekly basis. David when do you think we will have Driverless Cars be very common . Is it 10 years away, 20 away . I think its more quickly than that. But i think youll First Experience an Autonomous Vehicle or a driverless vehicle in a probably a sharing environment. Because as the technology and the capability of the hardware is really being developed, we think thats the environment youll First Experience it. But i do believe, down the road, you may have an Autonomous Vehicle in your garage. So when youre in a driverless or Autonomous Vehicle did you like put your foot on the brake to stop it or you just . You get away from doing that . Well, i do when im driving with my children, so. Or riding, i should say. So i think its just you know, its kind of a trained response. But frankly, its so smooth. Heres just one example. Youre riding was riding in an Autonomous Vehicle, if you think about when you come up to an intersection, and you look up and the light is yellow. And you have to make a decision. Are you going to kind of pick up the pace and go through or you gonna come to a stop . Do you have enough room . An Autonomous Vehicle has sensed exactly when the light turned yellow, knows you know, can it maintain speed and go or should it stop. So, you know, really, thats one of the benefits of Autonomous Vehicles, is theyre really theyre processing all the information around them, actually more safely tha if done right than we can as drivers with all the Different Things that were taking in. Okay. Well, other phrases that come out lately one is ridesharing. What is ridesharing . So ridesharing is think about as lyft or uber. When you are just similar to a cab. Youre looking to get a ride from someone, and so youre gonna do ridesharing versus car sharing is youre gonna actually have a use of a car, whether its a day or an hour or a month. And were participating we have a stake in lyft where were participating in ridesharing. And then we have our own Company Maven that is now in 16 cities across north ameri or across the United States. Where were doing car sharing. So car sharing you mean you drive the car for a short amount of time then get it back to somebody, Something Like that . Well, for instance, we have in the city of ann arbor, we have cars stationed, and you go online and an app and you reserve it. When you get to the car, you use the app to unlock it, drive it. And then either return it or we have now some services where we you can drop it off in a different place. So if everybody is using car sharing or ridesharing, wont there be fewer cars sold . Is that a good thing for General Motors . Well, i think theres been a lot of studies of is it gonna be more cars or less cars . Think about some of the people who cant drive right now. Whether, you know, you have some physical limitation that doesnt allow you to drive a vehicle or youth. So first of all, were gonna open up to a lot of people who cant drive or have the personal mobility or freedom of mobility that they dont have today. Also these vehicles in the sharing environments, theyre drived much more frequently. So many more miles traveled. Now, last year, you sold roughly 10 million cars. Which is a record amount, i guess. So but some people say a lot of cars are being sold because gasoline prices are low and people are therefore buying big cars and not worried about the cost of gasoline. Is that your experience that people are buying these cars because gasoline prices are low . And if gasoline prices come up, do you think theres gonna be a problem in car sales . Well, i think you know, right now, were already seeing a shift specifically in u. S. , but across the globe, of people moving to suvs and trucks just because from a functionality perspective. So were already seeing that shift. I think what also has happened over the last several years, is even trucks and crossovers, that were maybe not as efficient as a car, have become much more fuelefficient. So we believe in having a wide portfolio. What weve really seen now with low gas prices is people are going into maybe an uplevel model of a vehicle or maybe one size bigger. So they definitely are investing the money, theyre saving from the gas savings into the vehicle. But thats one of the reasons we have a full range of product lines. Well adjust based on what the customer wants. When people go in to buy a car, who are the real decisionmakers . Is it the woman or the man in the relationship that makes the decision . Actually we have data on this. And over 80 percent of purchase decisions are either made or influenced by women. All right. When people buy a car, the salesman goes back, says, i have to talk to my manager to see whether i can do this, do they really talk to their manager or they just . [audience laughing and clapping] well. So first of all, our and theres several dealers in the room so i hope i get this right. No. But so first of all, you know, our dealers are independent operators. So they have the ultimate control on what price they sell a vehicle for. Everything has all the options now. Are there still some options that are optional that you can add on that people like . What are the biggest options . You know, we are creating options every day. You know, one of the things we just put out, and this isnt an option, but its one of the most recent additions weve put into our vehicles is teen driver. Its a teen driver package. So and it comes standard, for instance, on the chevrolet malibu. And its a package where then you can monitor how the childs driving from speed, but also from acceleration, deceleration. So you can get a sense, of, you know, how safely your teen is driving. I would also say you know, the rear seat detector. What age does that go off . And that would ch it go to 21 or 22 or 25 . [audience laughing] well, its really who owns the control of the account on the car. Okay. I see. And what about texting . Obviously its been a problem, some people are texting and driving. Is there not an option that you can keep people from driving if they are texting . Youre absolutely right. Distracted driving, i believe, is now surpassing as the most common cause of injuries. And actually, very disturbingly, in the last year, we have been fatalities in the United States have been going down. Now theyre starting to go up. And i personally havent reviewed all the data, but distracted driving is a big piece of it. You know, theres inner locks that we can do, but really, i think we need to educate the public of, you know, that message can wait. Theres things that weve done to integrate it. So it can be you can you know, a voice can come over and read your text. It can be right on the main screen on the console of the vehicle. Because when youre holding your phone looking down, thats one of the worst things you can do. So were trying to put technologies in a place to make it better. But distracted driving is a real issue and i think we all have to take responsibility and address it. Lets say on the weekends, you drive yourself on a weekend . Yes. What kind of car do you drive . Do you test out the ford products or mercedesbenz or. . Do you ever trust your competition . Actually i do. I usually drive competitor models at our milford proving ground. And anytime we go out to to drive and test one of our new vehicles, we usually like to line it up against the competition and really know how were performing. In fact, the head of Product Development does that every friday afternoon with a team of engineers. They go out and test vehicles and they drive it against the competition. So ive had opportunity to do that. Right now im driving a cadillac xt5. But one of the best parts of this job is i can generally drive i can ask for whatever car i like. And so when youre driving your car any color you want too, right . Youre driving suppose youre around michigan on a weekend, and you need gas. Do you go pump it yourself and . Yep. Absolutely. Does anybody say, youre the ceo of General Motors, you shouldnt be pumping your own gas . Well, in michigan it is kind of selfserve. Its just between you and the pump. Its the credit card and okay. [audience laughing] so if are there any of your competitors models you actually would recommend . Somebody said, i dont wanna buy General Motors. Anything you recommend . Or not really . You know, i mean i think that is a really important question. But, you know, when i look maybe its because i ran Product Development for a while. So whether youre talking about a Chevrolet Spark or a heavyduty pickup or, you know, a cadillac escalade, i really feel weve worked hard to have a vehicle for every segment. We work hard to improve quality, to have the right features. So i guess i can honestly say across our wide portfolio of vehicles weve got you covered. I mean and i mean that in all sincerity. I really feel weve worked hard to do the right thing for the customer and have great vehicles. If i said i wanna buy a General Motors car today and i have 50,000, what would you recommend that i do . A lot of vehicles you can buy for 50,000. I mean. Well, suppose 30,000. So were on a 3 [audience laughing] mary you can buy this vehicle right here, the bolt ev after federal incentives. For under 30. You can get our entrylevel camaro. So if you have a need for speed. The camaros a good one. Or the gmc canyon or the colorado, the Chevrolet Colorado midsize pickup truck. Again, these are all products that have won a lot of awards and are great to. You know, great depending on what your use is. Suppose i wanna just go fast. I just wanna go fast. Whats your fastest car . Oh, its the corvette. Corvette. So. Although now the camaro the latest edition of the camaro is giving it a run for its money. So either one, itll surpass your need. Now, what is whats in this car thats . Why should i wanna buy this at 30,000 . Its electric only . Mary yes. David you need to have electric thing in your house or something nearby . If you want more rapid charging, we can install a rapid charging unit. Or you get can actually use, you know, one of your outlets to charge it. It takes a little bit longer. But the Chevrolet Bolt goes 235 miles on a charge. And, you know i think the great thing about that vehicle is its not just that its an electric vehicle, its a fantastic vehicle. Fun to drive, has a lot of pep, has the latest technology. From connectivity perspective. And actually, for the size of the vehicle, it is quite spacious inside. David so how do you compare that with, lets say, tesla . Teslas done a lot in the electric car area. Why do you think tesla was able to build his company so quickly . The other Major Companies didnt produce something comparable to that . Why do you think that was . Mary from a tesla perspective i have a lot of respect for the company. I think, you know, the promise of all electric and at a very premium price. I think that, you know, its when you look at it, its a pretty small segment of the marketplace that they have. But its a premium electric vehicle. So they came to market with something new. I think when you look at the Chevrolet Bolt ev, at 30,000, weve really been able to put an allelectric vehicle into the marketplace with range that really erases range anxiety for most people. And do it at a price that many people can afford. Okay. So youre were in washington today. And very often, when people who are ceos of Major Companies come to washington they spend some time lobbying government officials. Is that an important part of your job . Absolutely. Its important to have a relationship, now more than ever, to explain our industry and what are you know, what is the key elements of industry and how we have to work together. I thought we might go around the room mary and i met last week. We had a fantastic meeting on the Auto Industry. David youre a member of the president s Business Advisory council. When he had his first meeting, you were sitting right next to him. So, what is donald trump like . Mary well, you know, i have to say, we had a very productive meeting. It was very. We were able to really talk about some of the issues and challenges our industry and our company is facing, especially as we look at changes that may occur in tax and trade and regulatory. So i would say it was a very productive meeting where we could, you know, share our views. I the administration and the president really listened. And its early days, but seemed to be very actionoriented. Your business is profitable in the United States. Not as profitable in europe, in latin america. But fairly profitable in china, is that right . So why are you so successful in china . Do you manufacture the cars there . Actually, yes. We manufacture several vehicles there. But i think it goes back to the buick brand is a very strong brand. It had a rich history in china of driving some of the chinese officials around back in the 20s and 30s. So a great brand. Weve been able to also grow the chevrolet brand, and then cadillac. Cadillac, we. Its one of the fastestgrowing luxury brands. So and we build many of the products incountry there. You used to have a lot more brands at General Motors. You used to have pontiac, its gone away, and oldsmobile. So now you have chevrolet, cadillac, buick, and gmc. The main ones in United States . Yes. Yes. And of those, cadillac, for example, thats your premium, right . So but it also makes the president ial limousine, which is, like, bombproof or something. Have you ever been in that car or seen what its like . Is it a test model . Or you cant comment on it . I really cant comment on that. Cant comment . All right. Okay. An average person couldnt afford to buy Something Like that, probably . Probably not. Okay. [audience laughing] so. Chevrolet. So why have you kept that brand and kept the ones you kept and why did you get rid of pontiac and oldsmobile . Mary well, i think when. The whole dynamic of the industry had changed when we had that many brands, i mean at that point in time, there was very little competition. There were just the domestic competitors. And it made sense to cover, you know, the broad range of price points and different styles and functions that people wanted in their vehicles. But as we looked, and more and more companies came into it, and we wanted to do great products, it became harder to differentiate a chevrolet from a pontiac or an oldsmobile. So when you look at it, actually going back to sloan days, we simplified it to be chevrolet as our value brand, buick as our premium brand, cadillac as our luxury brand. And then gmc has a very special role of being kind of premium trucks and suvs, that is has been very, very successful. Now, in the 1970s and 80s, it was often said that american cars didnt have the quality of cars made in japan or germany. Do you think that quality difference has dissipated . Oh, dramatically. Dramatically. I would say you know and if you use an external rating, whether it be Consumers Power or. Consumer report of jd power, both show that. You know, really. You know, theres differences maybe by segment or a certain product. Weve really closed the quality gap. And im really proud of the team. And we work to improve on that every year. You joined General Motors. It was a dominant company in the United States. And then it went south for a while. What was the atmosphere like when you were working there . You know, clearly it was very difficult. You know, theres. Across the globe, we have 220,000 people. The restructuring event was primarily a north america event, but thats 100,000 people that we employ today. So it was a difficult time. But i think thats where you saw the resolve. And one of the things that i really think is so special at General Motors is the men and women of General Motors. I mean, they worked so hard through that period, doing, in a very short period of time, what needed to be done to get the restructuring completed. The government put some money into General Motors. Did the government get its money back in some form or another over the years . I think theres a couple points. We there was a portion of what the government provided that was loans, and then there was they had some ownership in stock. We paid back the loans, and then the stock piece, they had the they chose when to sell it. But i would also say so if you go bookkeep, there is a difference there. But when you look at the jobs preserved and created because weve invested billions of dollars in the u. S. Since that time to either create or maintain jobs, i think from that perspective i think has been successful, i will tell you at General Motors, we will be forever grateful for what the government did. Other than a woman running the company, what is it that makes it so successful now and it wasnt so successful 10 years ago . Whats the major difference . You know, i think i think its not like its a switch on and off. I mean, there were some things that the company realizing we were already restructuring, changing the culture, looking at how do we have the right capacity, you know, the work that was going. But i think, you know, through some great leaders, and my predecessor is sitting at the table here, you know, really put a focus on the company of excellence, and putting the customer at the center. You know, the what we said is we dont win until the customer says we win. And i think that customerfocus piece, and then deciding what we could be good at and what we shouldnt be doing, that kind of focus and discipline has whats guided us since that time. Now, your workforce is largely unionized in the United States, is that right . But youre competing against companies in the United States that often are not unionized, is that right . So is there a big differential now, any longer, between unionized workforce compensation and nonunionized . There still is a bit of a gap there. And i think thats something that we continually work on. I would say the focus with our uaw partners, and we have a very productive relationship of working together, first, on workplace safety, on quality, and on productivity. When you meet with members of congress, do they understand your issues very much . Or they really dont understand your issues as much as you think they should . Theres a willingness to have a discussion and seek to understand. There hasnt been a Single Member of government that ive met that hasnt wanted to understand how our business operates, how we create jobs, and what leads to success. None of them say, can you get me a discount on a General Motors car . We cant for government officials. You cant do that. Okay. What about for people interviewing you . Can you do that . [audience laughing] if youre not a Government Employee we can work something out. All right. Okay. So. Corporate tax reform has been talked about. And you favor Corporate Tax rates going down. And how would you propose the president or the congress pay for that . Well, you know, we are in support of Corporate Tax reform. Theres a lot of moving pieces in it. If not done very thoughtfully, could be problematic, so, you know, it would take a period of time to make adjustments to that. Oh. The mic. So theres a. You know so what were asking for is we support tax reform. Its gotta be done in a way that doesnt have unintended consequences. And understand businesses like the Auto Industry that are very capitalintensive and long lead. Okay. When you deal with members of congress are you promoting any particular project right now . Well, i think one of the areas is in the regulatory area. We still are, you know, very much committed to the environment. In fact, were the only oem that has made a pledge that by 2050 well use all renewable energy. We believe in the science. I would also say, you know, very pro on education. One of the three things the Company Really works hard on is safety, education and, you know, Economic Development in all the regions where we work. And from an education perspective, and i you know, i reside out in southeast michigan, so detroit is a big concern. The Education System there. So i think theres things that we can do. Government, state, local and federal government, working together to improve the Education System. Now, talking about education, if somebody graduates from college now, why should he or she want to work in the Automobile Industry . Specifically at General Motors . Why is it a great career path . Because its, like, the most exciting time ever. I mean, you know, when you look at cars, trucks and crossovers that we its usually the most important or the second most important purchase a person makes in their life. And so to get to be a part of that. I mean, people name their cars. So its such an exciting thing to be a part of. And then the fact that were being transformed by technology with connectivity, which we have a leadership role in, electrification, autonomous, all areas where, you know, General Motors is among the leaders or leading, its a very exciting time. Obviously, you have risen up, but are there many other women who are likely to become ceos or very Senior Executives in the Automobile Industry . Or is that relatively rare . I cant speak outside of General Motors, but i would say, you know, we have women leading major areas of the corporation. Our head of global manufacturing, our head of the electric our allelectric products, our head of tax. Just theres many areas across the company where women are leading. And, you know, thats a commitment we have to diversity. And you have to have a strong pipeline. And just because, you know, i sit here now doesnt mean without continued focus on diversity, and really understanding biases, because we all have biases. So we have to understand those biases. And thats something we spend quite a bit of time on as part of General Motors. And you have all these employees, 220,000. Do you tweet to keep them informed about what youre thinking on the hour in the day or not . Mary you know, so i have a facebook account and i do have a twitter account. And i have found for those of you wanting to communicate with your organization, i have found it to be an extremely effective way to communicate and just share whats going on, and and also interact with employees that are doing great things and capture that either on my facebook or on my twitter account. So i find it a very effective way to communicate. So youve been ceo for a relatively short period of time, so theres plenty of years to go. But eventually, at some point, ceos do retire, thats what they say. So when you do retire, what would you wanna do afterwards . Thoughts . Would you go in the government . President called you now, said, be secretary of this or that, would you go in . You know, i would not because i have, first of all, a job to do for many years, hopefully. I serve at the pleasure of the board, but at General Motors. And im so excited about the technologies that were working on. And i would say, you know, when im done doing that, im probably gonna focus on sleep. Okay. [audience laughing] so the two Main Companies i guess the three Main Companies in detroit that are manufacturing automobiles, fiat, chrysler, ford, and General Motors. Do you ever run into the other ceos very often in michigan or in the Shopping Centers or wherever you go or . Not so much at Shopping Centers. I might have a different shopping pattern than they do. But. [audience laughing] i like to shop. But. You know, i would say at events. You know, clearly at events, you know, whether its the Detroit Grand Prix or at meetings such as this, often, you know, well be in the same place. So for relaxation, other than retail therapy, which youve got it once, what do you do . Are you a golfer . Do you ski . What do you do . Well, i would say, you know, at this point, a lot of my free time has been dedicated to going to my childrens sports. Hockey, soccer, crosscountry, football. So im a hockey mom and a soccer mom. And ive watched a lot of sports. As that chapter ends, i am starting to take golf lessons. And thats probably all the time i have have time for right now. I would suggest miniature golf. Its less frustrating. I like that. [audience laughing] good suggestion. When watching your kids sports, do you tweet while youre doing that, so you get things done . You can be on your emails and watch your sports, they dont know youre emailing when youre watching them . Well, i would say when theyre on the field, im watching. If theyre not playing, im probably on my phone. Be more pbs ng up on artic. Carsie blanton is using an Old School Musical form, jazz, to help change the way women are perceived today. One of the ways to combat misogyny is to just sort of not accept it as a fact. [jim] from a young age, life has been a dance for choreographer matthew neenan. I was obsessed with different companies. I would see like casting and who was given what role and why were they given that role and why other dancers were left out. Like, that was kind of fascinating to me. [jim] Amedeo Modigliani died a broken man, his art has endured. His goals to create harmony and balance and a classical beauty are always there. [jim] and since the 1970s, the paintings and drawings of the cuban american artist Luis Cruz Azaceta have reflected on some of societys great modern tragedies