Rapid Response: GM's Mary Barra: "Going ventilator fast"
Masters of Scale
WaitWhat
4.6 • 4.4K Ratings
🗓️ 13 June 2020
⏱️ 30 minutes
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Summary
GM is now reopening auto plants, after shutting them in March, temporarily reducing pay for 69,000 employees, and making a fast pivot to produce masks and ventilators. But with the killing of George Floyd, things are hardly back to normal. Chair and CEO Mary Barra speaks to her “profound feeling of sadness,” but also to her optimism that the country and her company will bounce back. Though there is work to be done, says Mary, we're poised for transformation. Interviewed by editor Bob Safian.
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Hi listeners, it's Chris Goethea, producer on Masters of Scale. |
| 0:03.2 | Quickly dropping in with an invitation for you to join us at an upcoming strategy session with Reed, |
| 0:07.9 | along with a few very special guests. During this live virtual event, you'll hear some game-changing |
| 0:14.0 | wisdom and insights that will help you make smart and financial decisions for your business. |
| 0:18.4 | So take a second to save the data in your calendar for Monday, May 8th at 3.30pm Pacific, |
| 0:23.2 | and register at mastersofscale.com forward slash strategy session to receive your link to join. |
| 0:29.6 | We'll be tackling some of the most top of mind questions for entrepreneurs, |
| 0:32.8 | with a special focus on how your business can thrive even amidst an economic downturn. |
| 0:38.0 | It's a really important topic, and you'll hear timely strategic insights that will help set you |
| 0:42.8 | and your business up for success. So go to mastersofscale.com forward slash strategy session to register for free. |
| 0:51.0 | Now on to the show. |
| 0:53.6 | When people ask me the question, what keeps you up at night? I always say speed. |
| 0:59.5 | The world is moving quickly. Our industry is transforming quickly, and I feel very confident in |
| 1:04.9 | the strategy we have, but no one's going to wait for us. I don't want to go back to the way |
| 1:09.6 | I was before, because I have just seen so many things be done so quickly, without bureaucracy, |
| 1:16.9 | the ventilator project. Literally from when the first contact was made to when there was a ventilator |
| 1:22.1 | rolling off the line, it was a month. I've already heard people in the company say, we want to go |
| 1:27.8 | ventilator fast, and I love that. I've gone through a whole range of emotions. We've got to move |
| 1:35.0 | from asking ourselves why this is happening, and move to what can we do about it. Our diversity, |
| 1:41.8 | our culture, our inclusion. Do we have work to do? Absolutely, and we're going to approach that |
| 1:48.1 | with a much more heightened sense of urgency, but we also have a lot of opportunities. |
| 1:57.8 | That's Mary Barra, Chairman and CEO of General Motors. After shutting U.S. auto plants in March when |
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