GM’s Executive Pay Shows How Hard Talent Really Costs

General Motors has put its cards on the table, and the numbers are hard to ignore. In the latest SEC filing, the automaker made it clear it is willing to pay heavily to keep the people steering the ship.

Mary Barra, now the second-longest serving CEO in GM history, saw her total compensation rise to $29.9 million for 2025, up 1.4 percent from the previous year. That keeps her at the top of the Detroit Three pay ladder, ahead of Ford CEO Jim Farley, who earned $27.5 million after an 11 percent increase, and Stellantis boss Antonio Filosa, whose package came in at $6.4 million after the company missed some of its performance goals.

The bulk of Barra’s pay, about $26.6 million, came through stock awards and incentive plans. Her base salary has remained at $2.1 million since 2017, while another $1.2 million came from extras such as insurance, benefits and a company vehicle. And if GM hits the right targets again, that non-salary portion could climb further this year.

GM is not just paying for leadership, it is paying to secure continuity at the very top.

That message was reinforced in a letter filed with the SEC by Compensation Committee chair Devin Wenig, who said the board approved an 8.1 percent increase in Barra’s long-term compensation opportunity for 2026. The package, split 75 percent in performance stock units and 25 percent in restricted stock units, lifts her target total compensation by 6.2 percent. Wenig described the move as a way to reward performance, stay competitive in the market and keep Barra’s incentives aligned with shareholder interests.

Barra is not the only executive GM has been willing to court aggressively. The company reportedly offered Sterling Anderson, the former Tesla executive and Aurora Innovation co-founder, as much as $40 million to bring him in as product chief. SEC filings show he received $16 million in total compensation for 2025, with another $24 million expected over the next two years.

That kind of money tells its own story. In an auto industry battling software, electrification and fierce talent competition, GM is using big pay packages as both a retention tool and a recruitment weapon. Barra and longtime president Mark Reuss are being rewarded to stay. New talent is being lured in with a very large check. No surprises there. Just the cost of doing business at the top.

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