Every year publicly traded automakers must do what the law requires, releasing the compensation packages for its top executives. General Motors most recent filing shows it’s serious about paying to get and keep the leaders it wants.
According to a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission, GM Chair and CEO Mary Barra, now the second-longest serving chief executive in the company’s history, got a slight bump in her compensation package for 2025 to $29.9 million, a 1.4 percent increase from 2024.
She retains her title as the top paid Detroit Three CEO over Jim Farley, who brought home $27.5 million after an 11 percent raise, and Antonio Filosa, whose compensation was $6.4 million. Filosa’s compensation was lower because Stellantis failed to hit certain targets.
Most of Barra’s compensation, about $26.6 million, comes in the form of stock awards and incentive plans. Her base salary, which has been the same since 2017, is $2.1 million. She receives an additional $1.2 million in other compensation, such as insurance, benefits, and a company vehicle. It looks as though based on the same filing, Barra can expect another increase in non-salary compensation this year, if the company his certain performance targets.
“For 2026, we conducted a thorough assessment of Ms. Barra’s target pay opportunity and approved an increase of 8.1 percent to her long-term compensation opportunity (granted 75% in PSUs and 25% in RSUs), resulting in a modest increase of 6.2% in target total compensation.
This increase is commensurate with our strategy to reward and motivate performance and to offer market- competitive compensation. We believe this adjustment in her target pay, entirely in long-term equity, is aligned with our shareholders’ interests while appropriately recognizing Ms. Barra’s exceptional leadership,” according to Compensation Committee Chair Devin Wenig’s letterfiled with the SEC.
Barra isn’t alone though. GM’s offered Sterling Anderson up to $40 million in compensation to lure one-time Tesla executive and co-founder of self-driving truck maker Aurora Innovation over to take on the role of product guru. SEC filings show he took home $16 million in total compensation for 2025 and will get another $24 million during the next two years.
Again, the company waved a massive carrot to attract the person they wanted to fill the role, and ensure that executives they want to retain, like Barra and longtime president Mark Reuss, remain in place.
[Images: GM, Ford, Stellantis]
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