GM Faces Major Tech Leadership Shakeup as New Product Chief Restructures Software Division
General Motors is undergoing a significant shakeup inside its technology leadership ranks, with three senior executives departing in just one month. The exits come as GM’s newly appointed chief product officer begins merging the company’s fragmented tech units into one integrated organization, signaling a new phase of transformation for the automaker.
Baris Cetinok, GM’s senior vice president of software and services product management, will leave the company on December 12, GM confirmed. His departure follows those of Dave Richardson, senior vice president of software and services engineering, and Barak Turovsky, who joined in March as head of AI. All three leaders — each with deep experience from major tech firms including Apple and Google — joined the automaker in 2023.
Their exits coincide with GM’s recent hire of Sterling Anderson, a veteran of the autonomous vehicle industry, into the newly created chief product officer role. Reporting directly to GM President Mark Reuss, Anderson oversees vehicle engineering, battery development, software strategy, and user experience — essentially touching nearly every part of GM’s future product pipeline.
GM says the restructuring is meant to break down internal silos and blend hardware, software, AI, and global product development into one cohesive unit. The goal is to streamline how software is built and deployed across GM’s vehicles, a crucial step as the company pushes deeper into electric and autonomous technologies.
Even as some leaders exit, GM is bringing in fresh talent to support Anderson’s vision. Cristian Mori has been hired to lead a new robotics division — a first for the automaker. GM also recently added former Apple engineer Behrad Toghi as AI lead and appointed Rashed Haq, once head of AI and robotics at Cruise, as vice president of autonomous vehicles. The moves suggest GM is betting heavily on stronger coordination and innovation to position itself for the next generation of smart mobility.
source: Techcrunch