Notes on Hubris

GM Sold Us on a Comeback. Don't Buy a CEO's Apology — Buy Cars That Are Safe

The Guardian

GM succeeded because America wanted it to, not because it had the ability to make safe cars. At least this is the argument put forth by Heidi Moore, who supports it with an HBS working paper by Susan Helper and Rebecca Henderson. In addition to calling out GM’s failure to understand the true nature of global competition among automakers, the duo cites hubris as a critical factor: Even as GM continued to make inferior vehicles, it believed it was a good company with a proud history. “GM play-acted, magnificently, at resilience,” Moore writes, with the government and the public complicit, all while the company continued to make cars that killed people. Instead of dreaming about a mythical past, GM needs to get beyond apologies and focus on the future: “Can GM actually make a car that’s safe to drive?”