GM hires ex-Tesla, Aurora exec as chief product officer

DETROIT — General Motors has hired Sterling Anderson, a former Tesla executive and cofounder of autonomous vehicle company Aurora Innovation, as its chief product officer.

In the newly created position, Anderson will oversee the “end-to-end product lifecycle for both gas- and electric-powered vehicles, including hardware, software, services, and user experience,” GM said on Monday.

Anderson, who worked at Tesla for two years before forming Aurora in 2017, will start with the Detroit automaker on June 2. He will report to GM President Mark Reuss, who’s been the automaker’s longtime product head, or resident “car guy.”

Anderson is the latest ex-Tesla executive to join GM, which continues to roll out new technologies and electric vehicles despite slower-than-expected adoption across the industry. GM previously brought on former Tesla executives Kurt Kelty to lead batteries; Jens Peter “JP” Clausen, who recently left the automaker after leading manufacturing for roughly a year; and Jon McNeill as a member of the company’s board.

GM is attempting to balance its rollout of EVs with gas-powered models at the same time it’s advancing technologies such as its Super Cruise advanced driver-assistance system to better compete against Tesla — the U.S. EV and software leader — as well as emerging auto startups from China.

“Sterling brings decades of leadership in automotive engineering and transformative software innovation to his new role and is the right leader to help GM continue leading now and into the future,” Reuss said in a release.

GM CEO and Chair Mary Barra added: “Sterling will help accelerate the pace of progress — he shares our passion and vision for beautifully designed, high-performing, and technology-forward vehicles.”

Anderson was most recently chief product officer at Aurora, which he cofounded with CEO Chris Urmson and others. Aurora disclosed he would be leaving the company, effective June 1, in a regulatory filing last week.

At Tesla, Anderson led teams for the Model X SUV and Tesla’s controversial “Autopilot” advanced driver-assistance system.