General Motors CEO Mary Barra's $48.2 million 2025 compensation package is drawing scrutiny when placed beside two other numbers.
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics says the average autoworker makes $28 an hour, and GM's net income fell 55%.
Here's what to know
That contrast has intensified backlash to a claim by CarBuzz that the General Motors CEO was compensated at a rate equal to a brand-new Chevrolet Trax for each working hour, although that comparison changes depending on how the hours are counted.
The outlet cited Automotive News and Equilar's CEO Compensation Study, which listed Barra's 2025 total compensation at $48.2 million, including salary, stock options, and awards.
Attention around the figure grew after a post on Reddit's r/antiwork subreddit pointed to CarBuzz' piece and titled the thread, "GM CEO Earns The Equivalent Of A Chevy Trax Every Working Hour."
"'Earns' is doing a lot of heavy lifting here," one user wrote.
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"Receives would be a better word," another user piled on. That didn't finish up the jabs either, as another user indicated that "'working' hour" was a dubious term.
Barra's total was almost twice what she received in 2024. At the same time, GM's net income went from $6.0 billion in 2024 to $2.7 billion in 2025, a 55% drop, while Barra's compensation increased 61%.
Elsewhere in the industry, Ford CEO Jim Farley was paid $16.7 million, and Rivian CEO RJ Scaringe received $12.4 million.
CarBuzz translated Barra's package in two ways. About $24,000 for every working hour, or roughly $5,500 for each hour in the full year.
More background
Compared with some foreign automaker chiefs, U.S. executive compensation remained far higher, the outlet noted, again citing Automotive News and Equilar's CEO Compensation Study.
Nissan CEO Ivan Espinosa was paid about $3.5 million for that fiscal year, and he returned half of his annual bonus, around $588,000, to reflect weaker business performance. Volkswagen Group CEO Oliver Blume, who leads a company that includes VW, Porsche, and Audi, received about $8.44 million, compared with roughly $11.77 million.
For the fiscal year ending March 2026, CarBuzz noted that Honda CEO Toshihiro Mibe was paid about $1.03 million, down roughly 60% because of slower sales.
"As we all know, if her compensation plan was only a paltry million bucks, a similar comparison to Honda's, she wouldn't be motivated to work!" a user quipped. "The poor lady!"
What's being done
Ultimately, shareholders and members of companies' boards are the ones who can impact compensation. From the examples above, it's clear that making this amount of money is not a given in the auto industry.
In Nissan's case, there was even accountability for diminishing performance. Some dispirited commenters linked the exorbitant salary to greater problems with capitalism and the overall system in the U.S.
"CEOs and politicians lining their pockets spending more time finding tax loopholes and passing regressive policy all so they can create for themselves the wealth of kings while actually contributing nothing to society," a user lamented.
Where can I learn more?
GM's pay debate is part of a broader fight over executive compensation across corporate America.
• At some U.S. companies, CEO-worker gaps now measured in centuries have become a public flashpoint.
• At Walmart, backlash over Doug McMillon's compensation grew as critics questioned the retailer's labor model.
• At Apple, outrage over Tim Cook's salary fed another debate about wealth inequality.
• At Tesla, Elon Musk's $1 trillion package fueled fierce arguments over pay and power.
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