Wednesday, September 9, 2026

Mary Barra has led GM for 12 years. Here’s what she says about the company’s next chapter

GM ranks No. 23 on the 2026 Fortune 500, which means it's no longer the largest U.S. company led by a female CEO.

Jeff Kowalsky/Bloomberg via Getty Images

It’s a good day in Fortune MPW world when we get a new interview with GM CEO Mary Barra. Luckily, Fortune editor-in-chief Alyson Shontell just sat down with Barra for a new episode of her video podcast Titans and Disruptors.

For the uninitiated, Barra has been CEO of General Motors for 12 years and is closing in on a half-century at the automaker (she started as an intern at 18). Today, GM is a more than 100-year-old $180 billion business and Barra is constantly navigating shifting economic and political winds. Barra is a mainstay on the Fortune Most Powerful Women list; for a few years in a row, she was No. 1. (Most recently, she came in at a still-formidable No. 2 this year).

Overall, she is one of the most influential CEOs (and of course, female CEOs) in corporate America, and in the world.

Alyson sat down with her inside a Cadillac facility for a wide-ranging conversation about the state of GM’s business, the future of electric vehicles in the U.S., whiplash between the Biden and Trump administrations, and much more.

You can watch or listen to the interview wherever you get your podcasts!

Emma Hinchliffe
emma.hinchliffe@fortune.com

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