Mary Barra is General Motors. She began working on a GM factory floor at age 18, and 46 years later, she’s now running the company. Barra rose to CEO during one of the biggest safety crises in General Motors’ history. Since then, she has transformed the company into one that generates more than $180 billion in annual revenue—GM currently ranks No. 23 on the Fortune 500. But today, she faces a whole new set of challenges.
In a new episode of Fortune 500: Titans and Disruptors of Industry, Fortune’s Editor-in-Chief Alyson Shontell sat down with Barra to discuss her approach to fierce competition from China, shifting EV policy, the rise of artificial intelligence and autonomous vehicles, and how she intends to steer the company into the next century.
Here’s some of what they discussed during their nearly 50-minute conversation.
On GM’s diverse—and resilient—vehicle portfolio
Why Barra credits GM’s product portfolio, relatively low incentives, and durable U.S. new-vehicle demand for the company’s performance amid tariffs and changing EV policy.
