General Motors (GM) has named Sterling Anderson as VP of global product and chief product officer starting June 2, 2025.
Anderson will oversee the full lifecycle of GM’s gas and electric vehicles, including hardware, software, services, and user experience.
He will also lead key teams in engineering, battery propulsion, and software product management, with leaders like Kurt Kelty reporting to him.
Anderson’s appointment follows his departure from Aurora, an autonomous vehicle company he co-founded in 2017.
He previously served as the director of Tesla’s Autopilot program and left Aurora after the company reached a significant milestone in its self-driving truck service.
GM President Mark Reuss said Anderson’s expertise will improve integration and speed up product development.
???? Source: TechCrunch
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Anderson’s hiring represents GM’s most significant executive shakeup focused on product development since Barra took leadership in 2014.
This continues Barra’s pattern of transformative decisions that began with her response to the ignition switch crisis, where she established the “Speak Up For Safety” program and focused on accelerating decision-making processes 1.
The appointment follows Barra’s strategic shift from a “bigger is better” approach to a more streamlined, profitable model focused on future technologies and market opportunities 2.
By creating this expansive new role that touches “every aspect” of GM, Barra extends her track record of structural changes aimed at making the organization more responsive and innovative.
GM’s doubling of EV sales in Q1 2025 to over 30,000 units 3 indicates the company’s transformation strategy is gaining traction, creating momentum that Anderson can build upon.
The timing of Anderson’s hiring suggests GM is strategically acquiring talent at optimal moments when executives have proven their ability to bring complex technologies to market.
Anderson’s move from a successful autonomous vehicle startup to a traditional automaker illustrates a maturation of the AV sector, where expertise is increasingly valuable to mainstream manufacturers.
Aurora’s milestone of launching commercial driverless trucking operations in Texas 4 represents a critical inflection point where self-driving technology has progressed from research to commercial deployment.
GM’s creation of this expansive role spanning hardware, software, services, and user experience acknowledges that modern vehicles require integrated expertise across traditionally siloed domains.
This follows industry patterns where automakers are increasingly recognizing that software and autonomous capabilities are becoming core competencies rather than supplementary features.
Anderson’s hiring creates a direct reporting line between battery chief Kurt Kelty (another tech industry veteran) and leadership, signaling GM’s recognition that battery technology and software integration are now central to automotive product development.
The appointment comes as GM achieved record EV growth in Q1 2025 3, suggesting the company is strengthening its technical leadership precisely when its EV products are gaining market traction.
Anderson’s career trajectory—from Tesla’s Autopilot program to Aurora co-founder to GM’s product chief—exemplifies how expertise now flows between traditional automakers and tech companies.
This pattern marks a significant shift from the traditional automotive career path that Barra herself followed, having spent her entire 33-year career at GM before becoming CEO 5.
His MIT robotics doctorate and experience developing Aurora’s autonomous technology platform reflect the increasingly technical qualifications required for automotive leadership positions.
The timing of Anderson’s departure from Aurora follows a classic founder pattern—leaving after achieving a major milestone (commercial deployment) rather than during the scaling phase 4.
GM’s ability to attract top autonomous vehicle talent coincides with the increasing competitiveness of the EV market, where Chinese manufacturers like BYD (258,000 units in January 2025) and declining Tesla sales (-15% year-over-year) are reshaping the competitive landscape 6.
GM’s decision to base Anderson at its Mountain View Tech Center rather than Detroit headquarters further signals the company’s commitment to embedding Silicon Valley innovation approaches within its traditional operations.
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