--- title: Matt Lauer to Mary Barra: Can You Run General Motors and Be a Good Mom description: Just months after Sen. Barbara Boxer said she was disappointed in Barra "woman to woman." canonical: https://time.com/2927598/matt-lauer-mary-barra-today-show/ author: Charlotte Alter article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2014-06-26T16:00:10.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-04T07:45:27.422Z og:title: Matt Lauer Asked Mary Barra If She Can Be a Good Mom and Run GM og:description: Just months after Sen. Barbara Boxer said she was disappointed in Barra "woman to woman." og:url: https://time.com/2927598/matt-lauer-mary-barra-today-show/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltcdb7a7de331f8ff0/69869967cd804d42bcccba9c/450812696.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: GM CEO Mary Barra Testifies At House Hearing On Ignition Switch Recall og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Matt Lauer Asked Mary Barra If She Can Be a Good Mom and Run GM twitter:description: Just months after Sen. Barbara Boxer said she was disappointed in Barra "woman to woman." twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltcdb7a7de331f8ff0/69869967cd804d42bcccba9c/450812696.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Matt Lauer Asked Mary Barra If She Can Be a Good Mom and Run GM ## Video: FIRSTS Mary Barra [Watch (HLS stream): FIRSTS Mary Barra](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/RVbEULUy.m3u8) (1:03)  _Published 2017-09-02. MARY BARRA is the FIRST woman to be CEO of a major car company._  by [Charlotte Alter](https://time.com/author/charlotte-alter/)  ## Charlotte Alter Senior Correspondent Jun 26, 2014 4:00 PM UTC  General Motors CEO Mary Barra testifies during a House Energy and Commerce Committee hearing on Capitol Hill on June 18, 2014 in Washington, DC. (Mark Wilson--Getty Images) General Motors CEO Mary Barra testifies during a House Energy and Commerce Committee hearing on Capitol Hill on June 18, 2014 in Washington, DC. (Mark Wilson--Getty Images)Mark Wilson—Getty Images  by [Charlotte Alter](https://time.com/author/charlotte-alter/)  ## Charlotte Alter Senior Correspondent Jun 26, 2014 4:00 PM UTC In an exclusive [TODAY show ](http://www.today.com/news/gm-chief-mary-barra-car-recalls-i-dont-really-think-1D79852194)interview with Mary Barra, Matt Lauer asked the General Motors CEO if it was possible for her to run a major automaker and be a good mom at the same time. Here’s a [transcript](https://sg.news.yahoo.com/blogs/motoramic/matt-lauer-asks-general-motors--ceo-if-she-can-be-a-good-mother-too-143058501.html) of that part of the interview: --- > “” --- Lauer also asked her about the speculation that despite her 30 years of experience at the company, she may have gotten the job because of the desire to have a maternal figure guide the company through a rocky time. --- > “” --- This interrogation comes just a few months after Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) told Barra during her [Senate](http://www.freep.com/article/20140402/BUSINESS01/304020057/GM-Barra-Senate-testimony-ignition-recall) questioning that “woman to woman, I’m disappointed.” How’s this for a question: Can Matt Lauer be a good dad and host the Today Show? Let’s discuss. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/2927598/matt-lauer-mary-barra-today-show/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/2927598/matt-lauer-mary-barra-today-show/"},"headline":"Matt Lauer Asked Mary Barra If She Can Be a Good Mom and Run GM","datePublished":"2014-06-26T16:00:10.000Z","dateModified":"2026-08-04T07:45:27.422Z","description":"Just months after Sen. 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