G.M.’s Chief Executive Remains Bullish on Electric Vehicles

Summary

DealBook Summit: G.M.’s Chief Executive Remains Bullish on Electric Vehicles

Podcast: DealBook Summit, The New York Times
Date: December 4, 2025
Guests: Mary Barra (G.M. Chair & CEO), Andrew Ross Sorkin (host)

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Overview

This episode features a live interview from the 2025 DealBook Summit with Mary Barra, Chair and CEO of General Motors. Hosted by Andrew Ross Sorkin, the discussion focuses on the future of electric vehicles (EVs), regulatory and political challenges, competition with China, autonomy and labor concerns, and Barra’s personal reflections on leadership at G.M.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The State and Future of EVs in the U.S.

• Short-term Uncertainty:
  Barra argues that it’s “way too soon to tell” if the EV revolution is stalling, citing incentive fluctuation and evolving consumer demand. (02:34)

  “I think we'll get into second quarter of next year and that's when we'll start to know what true EV demand is. But we're well positioned. Whether you want an internal combustion engine vehicle… or an EV, we have great portfolios in both.” (02:34-03:17)

• Technological Innovation and Consumer Focus: Barra underlines ongoing innovation, partnerships (e.g. with LG Energy Solutions), and commitment to reducing EV costs:

  “We’re innovating with LMR technology with our partner LG Energy Solutions… will take up to $10,000 off the cost of an EV.” (03:51-04:50)

• Regulatory Dependency: Industry investment decisions were “based on the regulatory situation under the Biden administration.” (05:18)

2. National Standards vs. State Regulations

• One National Regulatory Standard:
  Barra is a long-standing advocate for a national emission standard to avoid inefficiencies and confusion from state-by-state rules:

  “If we want to put the best product on the road as efficiently as possible, we need one national standard.” (06:09)

  She details the logistical issues of disparate state requirements:

  “I looked at where's the consumer and the consumer... they need to know this vehicle is going to be there day in and day out.” (06:09-07:41)

• California’s Emission Standards and Political Maneuvering:
  Barra tells Sorkin she lobbied for one standard, not against California, reiterating that lobbying is aligned with clarity and rational portfolio planning.

3. Politics, Lobbying, and Changing Policies

• Navigating Political Shifts:
  Barra insists that policy, not politics, drives G.M.'s strategy, but Sorkin presses on perceptions of opportunism:

  “We can’t be blind to [policies]. We have to make the investments to get to where the regulatory environment they set. We've seen a complete change in that... That's the world CEOs of automakers are living in.” (08:53-09:49)

• Direct Criticism – Governor Gavin Newsom:
  On Newsom’s “G.M. sold us out. Mary Barra sold us out”:

  “I'm not going to talk about the rhetoric. Let's focus on results. We have the largest EV portfolio of anyone selling vehicles in this country.” (10:06)

4. Global Competition and Tariffs

• EV Adoption Abroad:
  Sorkin presses if the U.S. lags amid China’s 60% EV sales, but Barra points to G.M.’s global resilience and successful restructuring in China (luxury and premium brands).

  “We're going to continue to do that. We have a strong business in South America. We're, you know, in back in Europe from an EV perspective. So I think we can be strong across the globe.” (10:52-11:17)

• Tariffs and Subsidies:
  Barra supports “a more level playing field,” noting that U.S. automakers faced uneven tariffs for years:

  “I think there's been a lot done with tariffs to have a more level playing field. I wouldn't say it's level now, but for years we faced either tariffs or non-tariff trade barriers.” (12:36-13:21)

• Competition with China:
  Quoting Elon Musk:

  “If there are no trade barriers established, they (China) will pretty much demolish most other car companies in the world.” (Sorkin quoting Musk, 13:21)

  Barra responds:

  “So I do agree with Elon that … Chinese OEMs have gotten much better, especially as we move to EVs. But… China is heavily subsidizing their industry… there has to be a government response or that could happen.” (13:34-14:02)

5. EV Incentives and Policy Stability

• Consistent Policy Desired:
  Barra sidesteps direct advocacy for specific incentives:

  “What I would like is consistency. I want clarity… Because we invest over a period of years.” (15:15-15:43)

6. Relationships with Tesla and the White House

• Elon Musk & Exclusion Debate:
  Barra clarifies her stance and praises Tesla’s contributions:

  “I actually privately had that conversation with him [President Biden]. I said, actually, I think a lot of that credit goes to Elon and Tesla.” (16:41-16:50)

7. Autonomous Vehicles – Lessons from Cruise

• Evolving the Autonomy Strategy:
  G.M. has shifted to focus on personal autonomy rather than competing in robotaxis.

  “We did… make the decision to focus on personal autonomous vehicles, because that's our business today… There's significant differences between personal autonomy and… a robo-taxi fleet.” (17:15-19:21)

• Near-Term Goals:
  Announced recent plans for “highway L4 capability” starting with the Escalade IQ in 2028.

8. Labor and Skills in the Modern Auto Industry

• Challenges in Skilled Labor:
  Barra echoes industry challenges, calling for greater respect for skilled workers and highlighting G.M.’s investments in apprenticeship and transition programs for military veterans:

  “I wish we didn't have a negative view of people, whether they're plumbers, electricians, die makers, because… the capability is incredible… They're very important.” (19:43-21:03)

• Ongoing Workforce Training:
  Continued investment in internal training, leveraging community colleges, and adapting to new technologies (electric and autonomous vehicles).

9. Personal Reflections and Leadership

• Nearly 50 Years with G.M.:
  Barra expresses emotional connection to G.M. and pride in customer relationships:

  “What other industry do people write songs about? Do they name their cars?” (22:41)

  She emphasizes the deeply personal nature of cars in American life, and her ongoing passion:

  “This is not an easy industry, but it is a rewarding one when we look at what's happening. We're an industry in transformation not only from how the vehicle's propelled, but all the technology…” (22:41-23:24)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the uncertainty of EV demand:
  “I think we'll get into second quarter of next year and that's when we'll start to know what true EV demand is.” — Mary Barra (02:34)

• On lessons from Cruise and autonomy:
  “We did… make the decision to focus on personal autonomous vehicles, because that's our business today…” — Mary Barra (18:53)

• On competition with China:
  “So I do agree with Elon that I think [Chinese] capabilities… have gotten much better, especially as we move to EVs. But… China is heavily subsidizing their industry…” — Mary Barra (13:34)

• On her philosophy as CEO:
  “We want to build great vehicles for consumers and delight and surprise them…” — Mary Barra (08:53)

• Personal connection to G.M.:
  “What other industry do people write songs about? Do they name their cars?” — Mary Barra (22:41)

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Timestamps for Major Segments

• Intro & Mary Barra’s Tenure: 00:49–02:00
• The State of U.S. EVs: 02:00–05:30
• Regulation, Standards & Lobbying: 05:30–10:27
• EV Policy & China Competition: 10:27–14:03
• Tariffs & Global Industry: 14:03–15:43
• Discussion on Policy Consistency: 15:43–16:18
• Elon Musk, White House Relations: 16:18–16:56
• Autonomous Vehicles & Cruise: 16:56–19:21
• Labor Market and Skills: 19:21–21:47
• Barra’s Reflections on Leadership: 21:47–23:24

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Tone and Style

The conversation is candid, direct, and frequently nuanced. Barra is pragmatic, cautious with predictions, and data-driven, while Sorkin adopts a probing, sometimes skeptical tone. The tone remains respectful but energetic, reflecting the crossroads at which the auto industry finds itself.

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For listeners, this episode offers a revealing account of how G.M. is steering through industry transformation, global competitiveness, and shifting regulatory environments, as well as the enduring human dimension of automobile manufacturing.

Transcript

[A]

This episode was recorded at the 2025 DealBook Summit. This year's Dealbook Summit sponsors include premier sponsor Accenture, associate sponsors U.S. bank Vanguard, Invesco, Q. Q. Q. And University of Michigan, supporting sponsor Capital One and contributing sponsor Invest Puerto Rico.

I am always going to advocate for one national standard and for making sure reg requirements don't get in front of the consumer.

[B]

This is Andrew Ossorkin with the New York Times and you're listening to interviews from our annual Dealbook Summit recorded on December 3rd in New York City.

Mary Barra here this morning from General Motors. I just want to say, Mary, thank you for being here. Mary has been here a whole bunch of times. She is, of course, the chair and CEO of General Motors. She is unequivocally, I want to say, the most powerful female CEO in America and if I can go so far to say, one of the most influential in history. She has been at the helm of this automaker since she's, she hasn't been the helm of it, but she's been at this automaker since she has been 18 years old. She became the CEO of GM in 2014, making her one of the longest serving leaders in this industry. She's also on the board of Disney, first appeared on this stage, as it happens, in 2014. You were about a year in, we were downtown, if you remember.

[A]

I do.

[B]

And I want to say we rarely invite executives back repeatedly, over and over again. But Mary is an exception. And she's an exception because she has always been candid with us and her willingness to engage and because she's in the middle of some of the biggest, thorniest issues every single moment it feels like. And right now she is dealing, of course, with tariffs, with global trade, the EV debate, the Oval Office and so much more. So welcome back, Mary.

[A]

Thank you so much.

[B]

Thank you. Let's start with EVs. I want to go there because the last time we spoke was 2000, I believe it was 2021. You had just made a big announcement about increasing spending on EVs and on autonomous vehicles. By the way, here we are in this moment now where it appears as if the EV revolution in America is coming to a standstill or maybe moving backwards. Is that what's happening?

[A]

I think it's way too soon to tell. Any time you have a situation where you have incentives and they're announced that they're going to end, you know, we saw the EV demand go up to 12% and then drop. And it's this, this past month, it's in that 5 to 6% range. But I don't think we're going to know what true EV demand is without the incent. I mean, if you go back to before IRA, we were at that 7 to 8%. A lot has happened since then. EVs are more affordable, they have better range, there's more charging infrastructure. But I think we have a way to go on that. So I think we'll get into second quarter of next year and that's when we'll start to know what true EV demand is. But we're well positioned. Whether you want an internal combustion engine vehicle or I call it an ICE vehicle, or you want an ev, we have great portfolios in both.

[B]

But how do you think about it? Because so much of what we would talk about is this EV revolution and that, I mean, you would talk about specific, big, specific goals, about where, you know, GM was going to be in 2035, for example. I mean, literally, you know, Everybody'd be driving EVs. And it appears now, and by the way, later this afternoon, I don't know if you can speak to it, but the President is supposed to announce a weakening effectively of some of the restrictions on fuel efficiency, which should make it easier for you to make more, you know, gas guzzling cars.

[A]

Well, first of all, I would say every new vehicle that we come out, every engine we invest in from an internal combustion, we work to have significant improvement from a fuel economy perspective, from an emissions perspective. So we're going to continue to do that. 2035 is a long way away. It's a decade. And when I look back of how much has changed in the last five years, one thing I've learned after being in this position for 12 years, I'm not going to make a lot of predictions. I mean, the world is transforming. I do believe fundamentally EVs have better performance once, but there's work that needs to be done. We still need to get better battery technology and we're innovating with LMR technology with our partner LG Energy Solutions. You know, the LMR technology we're working on that will start to roll out in just two years, will take up to $10,000 off the cost of an EV. So when I look at what's happening with innovation in battery technology, what's happening across the country and across the globe from a charging perspective, I think it's hard to say exactly where we'll be in 2035. But what I can tell you is we're going to be guided by the consumer well, but let's.

[B]

Let me ask about that, though, because clearly, I think you would argue a mistake has been made not by just yourself, by the way, Ford, everybody who's been in the American industry trying to build EVs, who's announced a loss, $1.6 billion charge for you, obviously, Ford, a $1.9 billion charge. You could go back and say, in a perfect world, you would have made what decision? What was the miss here?

[A]

First of all, I think everyone who made those investments was making the investments based on the regulatory situation under the Biden administration. We were supposed to get to 40 to 50% EVs by 2030.

[B]

Right.

[A]

We have a long cycle. If we weren't, if everyone and every single company for the most part, was making those investments, without them, we wouldn't have been able to sell an internal combustion engine vehicle, have a robust portfolio of EVs at that point in time. So I don't think there was a mistake made by industry. I think we were doing what the regulatory environment was requiring us to do.

[B]

Okay, but one of the things that was happening during this period of time and it's just happened this spring, Congress passed a law that stripped California of its right to set emission standards. That mandate would have effectively required car companies to sell only EVs by 2035. But you lobbied for that.

[A]

Well, I would say several OEMs lobbied for a. And as I have since I've been in this role, for one national standard. When you think about a company when we're starting to follow different standards by state, it makes it very inefficient. So if we want to put the best product on the road as efficiently as possible, we need one national standard. When you look at where the regulatory environment for the states that follow CARB was model year 26, and as you well know, model year 26 starts in calendar year 25. Those states needed to be at 35% EV adoption, which meant for us, for every three cars I ship to the state, one of them has to be an ev. And I can't ship another one until that one is sold. The state of New York, where we sit today, they were. They were at 7%. So do you think in a model year change, it's going to be five times more demand for EVs? We were going to have to start shutting down plants because we weren't going to be able to build and sell those vehicles. So again, I looked at where's the consumer and the consumer, when you think about buying a new vehicle for Most people, it's one of the most expensive purchases they make. They're very rational about it and they need to know this vehicle is going to be there day in and day out. If all of a sudden they've got to drive to college and pick up their child or drive cross country to take care of a parent, they need to know that they don't want to have to worry about what I'm going to, how I'm going to get there. So I look at the consumer and say we have to be led by the consumer. But that doesn't mean we can't continue to work on improving battery technology so we get the cost down, continue to work on putting more EV infrastructure for charging to make people comfortable and give them that choice.

[B]

So, but let me ask, let me just understand the lobbying piece because I think everyone always wants to understand it in the Trump and the Trump administration won, you lobbied with him effectively to get rid of this California emission standard.

[A]

I, we as along with many other automakers asked for one federal standard.

[B]

And I appreciate that. By the way though, you were the, I believe the biggest spender of lobbying money in Washington after meta.

[A]

That's because I spend time talking to the administration so they know our, our policies, you know, so but, and I'm going to continue to do but the.

[B]

Reason I mentioned it is so there was Trump won and you were voting or trying to get rid of that standard. Biden comes in, you invest heavily in EVs and you pull back on pushing on the California standard. And then Trump comes back and then you push on the California standard. So people I think from the outside think is, is the political view based or even the business strategy to some degree tied to, to the political wins.

[A]

I think our business strategy, we want to build great vehicles for consumers and delight and surprise them with what we can do from a software perspective that that's our goal. But if you look at what the policies are of each administration, we can't be blind to those. We have to make the investments to get to where the regulatory environment they set. We've seen a complete change in that. You know, one way in, 180 degrees, one way, 180 degrees back. That's the world CEOs of automakers are living in. And again, my job is to be able to build vehicles to make sure I continue to have a strong manufacturing base in this country, continue to be the leader. General Motors sells more vehicles in this country than anyone else. I want to maintain that. And so I have to respond to the policies of each administration. General Motors has been working with. As you know from your book, General Motors has been working with administrations for the last hundred years.

[B]

This is very true. I want to give you the opportunity just to speak to this because he's going to be here later and I don't know if he's going to comment on this or not, but he could. Gavin Newsom said the following. He said, GM sold us out. Mary Barra sold us out. You want to respond to him before he gets here?

[A]

Andrew? I'm not going to talk about the rhetoric. Let's focus on results. We have the largest EV portfolio of anyone selling vehicles in this country. We sell huge amount of vehicles in the state of California. I am always going to advocate for one national standard and for making sure regulatory requirements don't get in front of the consumer.

[B]

Do you think though that there's a mistake in terms of how the US is approaching EVs? And the reason I say China is now expected to hit 60% of sales this year. EVs Germany, France close to 20%. They're growing in India, Africa, Latin America. And so the question, I think, is there a colossal mistake happening here in five, ten years from now? Are we destined to become a regional player in vehicles?

[A]

I don't think so. I mean, in China itself, yes, there was a huge entry of domestic EV competitors, but right now we're the only Western automaker in China after we did our restructuring that is now growing share competing at the luxury level with Cadillac and at the premium level with Buick. And we're going to continue to do that. We have a strong business in South America. We're, you know, in back in Europe from an EV perspective. So I think we can be strong across the globe. So I don't, I don't see that, you know, going to a regional player. My general philosophy though is I want to give customers choice. And so instead of telling them you must buy an ev, because if you look at some of the countries, there was both carrot and stick put in place for a regulatory perspective and an incentive perspective to drive that, what I've been working on. And that's why even in this period where, you know, you know, we have single digit adoption of EVs in this country, we're going to continue to invest not in more models because we've got the biggest portfolio right now. We're going to invest in how do we keep making the vehicles better, taking cost out, charging infrastructure so people have a choice that that's what we're working to be. So people choose an EV because it's a better performance vehicle and it fits their life. Not that the regulations force us to encourage.

[B]

The reason I asked though is because I can't tell whether you like tariffs or, or you don't like tariffs. I think you don't like tariffs in certain ways, but then you like them in other ways.

[A]

Okay, so we're going to talk about tariffs now.

[B]

Let's. Well, but that has to do with the tariff piece of this all has to do. I mean they're all intertwined in terms of whether the United States, in terms of our auto industry ultimately is the most competitive in the world or it becomes a regional business effectively.

[A]

Well, I think Secretary Bessant talked about it today. There were, there was not a level playing field. I think there's been a lot done with tariffs to have a more level playing field. I wouldn't say it's level now, but for years we faced either tariffs or non tariff trade barriers. For instance, in Europe it was 10% if we exported there. If they exported here, it was two, two and a half. Exporting to China was 25 to 50% tariffs. So. And again, the same two, two and a half in this country, setting aside full size trucks, so what? And we've competed and had leadership in many countries around the world. I think getting to a more level playing field is definitely better for all of the American OEMs as we move forward.

[B]

Let me read you. This is Elon Musk. He says if there are no trade barriers established, they will pretty much, they being China will pretty much demolish most other car companies in the world. They're extremely good.

[A]

Well, I have been going to China for more than 20 years. I was just there last year and drove a whole host of vehicles. So I do agree with Elon that I think their capabilities, the Chinese OEMs have gotten much better, especially as we move to EVs. But I also think we all know that China is heavily subsidizing their industry. So I think that's what Elon was referring to with those heavy subsidies. And I think it was like there's a government response there. There has to be a government response or that could happen.

[B]

But what do you think is going to happen in all of these other markets in five or ten years from now if BYD is selling, you know, advanced cars at cheaper prices than we can manufacture these things?

[A]

Well, again, I think you win on not just price. I mean, we're proving that right now in this country we've had lower Incentives, either the lowest or among the lowest of incentives this whole year, and have been able to sell our vehicles based on the styling, the safety, the performance across the board. So there's. It's more than just price of what people look for, and they also look for brands that they can trust. We're in the, you know, first. First lap of the 24 hours of Le Mans. When we look at what's happening in these other countries. I think what I focus on, though, with our team is saying we have to compete. We have to be able to compete with those that have lower input costs and lower labor costs. And again, you know, that's what we. That's the realities that we have now. If somebody's being subsidized 30%, that becomes a pretty difficult situation. But I think overall, we're continuing to work to how do we make our vehicles more efficient? How do we give the consumer more. How do we increase our speed?

[B]

Do you wish on just the EV front that. That the subsidy was still there? Do you think it was a mistake to take the subsidy away?

[A]

You know, it's not my job to. To opine on what regulatory environment?

[B]

Well, yes, because then you lobby for other things, so it is you. I mean, you have a position.

[A]

And the most important. My position is what. What I would like is consistency. I want clarity. Whether it's tariffs or regulatory, I want. Because we invest over a period of years, I'm looking for clarity and then consistency.

[B]

I got one political question for you. Just as a throwback to 2021. We were together at DealBook, and I had asked you about Elon Musk. At the time, there had been a big EV summit, if you remember, at the White House, and he was not invited. And I asked you what you thought of that. I don't know if you remember, it kind of went viral. And you had said you hadn't thought a lot about it at the time in retrospect. Now, by the way, we have the Vice President, United States here. She said it was a mistake in her book recently. Do you think that that was a big mistake by the White House in terms of how you were even dealing with that White House then?

[A]

Well, when I answered the question last time, again, it wasn't something I gave a lot of thought to. I wasn't in charge of the guest list. So, again, I try to focus on things I can control.

[B]

No, I know, but you know how Elon felt, and in all of things that happened in this country after that.

[A]

I will tell you what I did say to the President, because he credited me with. And I said, actually, Mr. President, I actually privately had that conversation with him.

[B]

You did?

[A]

I did.

[B]

And you told him. What did you tell him?

[A]

I told him that I, you know, he. Because he was crediting me. And I said, actually, I think a lot of that credit goes to Elon and Tesla.

[B]

Wow.

[A]

Separately, you know me, Andrew. I don't. I don't want to take credit for things that I know.

[B]

I wanted to ask you about Autonomy because Cruise was it early investment. I know a lot of the technology from Cruise is going to end up in a lot of your vehicles, but it's. It's not something that you're pursuing in the same way that you were before. And I want to understand what you think the lessons of Cruise were for you, because I think you had very big ambitions in that space.

[A]

Well, I think, again, any transformative technology, and as we talk about artificial intelligence, autonomous driving is, you know, one of the ultimate applications that I still see strongly believe in our investment in crews that we made in 2016. Remember, at that time, we thought by 2019 we'd have autonomy, and frankly, we still don't have it yet, where you can drive anywhere under any condition. So, again, we said it was one of the most challenging technologies to develop of this generation. But I think there's been tremendous progress made. I also think technology has changed greatly during that period of time. So there's tremendous learnings and assets and people that we still have from our crew. So I look at that investment as foundational to where we are now. And I think we've learned a lot and I'm very excited. We just announced, I think about a month, six weeks ago, that we plan to have highway L4 capability, starting with the Escalade IQ in 2028, and with the resources from General Motors combined with Cruise, combined with the capabilities, for instance, the simulation capability that they had developed and we're continuing to use is phenomenal. So as we look at that and go into the future now with Sterling Anderson, who joined from Aurora, I think we're well positioned. But we did, to your point, make the decision to focus on personal autonomous vehicles, because that's our business today. As this evolved and we looked at do we really want to be in that business where we're competing with buses and cabs and et cetera, we said no. Our core business is personal vehicles. And that's where you think.

[B]

That's where it goes. You think there'll be a personal vehicle business and there will be an autonomy Fleet business. And it can be separate.

[A]

I do think they can be separate. I think. And so we're focused on the personal autonomy because we also, as we've had, you know, in this area, everyone's talking to everyone, or at least I would say General, General Motors is talking to a lot of these different companies. And what we really are technically really realized there's significant differences between personal autonomy and some of the transitions and what you need to do than there is from a robotaxi fleet. And that's why we decided we're going to focus on personal.

[B]

Okay, two more quick questions. One is about labor. Your rival CEO Ford said it is very hard to find skilled labor in America today. It is increasingly hard. Where do you think we really are on that? And what would you, what do you think we have to do? Is it. And by the way, is the skilled labor required? Do we have enough of it? And if we don't, are robots ultimately going to do it?

[A]

Well, I think one of the things I wish in this country, and my dad was a dye maker, so he was what would be considered a blue collar worker who is one of people I look up to, very much so in this world. I wish we didn't have a negative view of people, whether they're plumbers, electricians, die makers, because I think that the craft, because it is a craft, the capability is incredible. So I agree with Jim on those issues that I think that we, you know, we do need to celebrate people who choose those fields. They're very important. And I think as you look in an AI world, they're going to be really good jobs. From General Motors perspective, we invest in the last five years, we've invested over $250 million in apprentice programs alone. So training electricians and millwrights and pipefitters that work in our facilities. We also work with the military. So as people come out of serving the country, putting them into programs so then they can be dealer technicians, because there is a shortage of dealer technicians right now. So we're really working and we've been have investing in this year. We've invested, frankly, for decades. I remember when I first started at General Motors, I was an electrical engineer. I was working in one of our plants and we were just making the transition from literally plant conveyors and all the machinery and equipment running with relays and wires to computers. And what we did then is we partnered with local community colleges and trained our workforce. Right now we're in the middle of training our workforce as we introduce electric vehicles into a plant we're using that same model to train our workforce. So to me, it's the investment General Motors makes in continuing to train our employees, our existing employee base, and then looking for creative ways to invest. But I think as a country, we need to have much more respect for the people who choose those career paths because they're important to this country and they're hardworking and the skills that they have. I don't know about you, as you do home improvement projects or as I look at the skill in our plants, I think they're undervalued.

[B]

Okay, final question. You've been at this now, at this company, 45 years, almost five decades, is that right?

[A]

That is true, but I started as a college co op student.

[B]

So what do you want to accomplish at this point? How long you want to do this for?

[A]

Well, that's the board's decision, not mine. But what I can tell you is, first of all, I love this industry. I mean, the letters I get from customers sending me when their odometer turns over to 200, 300, 400, you know, getting a letter from somebody who is still in the hospital saying, I will drive a Chevrolet forever because this vehicle saved my life. The first responders thought when they saw the state of the vehicle, I wouldn't be alive. And I walked away with mere scratches. And I get letters from consumers who are unhappy about something, and I respond to every single letter that I get. So to me, this is such a special business. I mean, what other industry do people write songs about?

[B]

You?

[A]

Do they name their cars? I mean, there's a touching letter I got from a mother who, Tim Vitaho, drove their family through the Northeast to all of their son's lacrosse games, to her cancer treatment. And they view it as part of the family. This is not an easy industry, but it is a rewarding one when we look at what's happening. We're an industry and transformation not only from how the vehicle's propelled, but how the vehicle, all the technology you look at building great vehicles, the technology transformation we're making and the investment and the strengthening we're doing of manufacturing. You know, I'm energized every day. So we'll see.

[B]

Mary Barra, thank you very, very much.

Dealbook summit is a production of the new york times. This episode was produced by evan roberts, mixing by kelly piclo and katie mcmurran. Original music by daniel powell. The rest of the dealbook events team includes julie zahn, hilary coon, melissa tripoli, beth weinstein, angela austin, haley hess, dana prukowski, matt kaiser, chantal rainier and yen wei liu. Special thanks to sam dolnick, nina lassom, christina josa and maddie masiello.

Sam.