--- 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=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 2345 og:image:height: 1319 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=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Matt Lauer Asked Mary Barra If She Can Be a Good Mom and Run GM > Sponsored content. 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Worth Your Time is TIME's culture recommendation newsletter, edited by culture editor Eliza Berman. Each week it surfaces the books, shows, films and ideas TIME's editors think are worth your attention, and explains why. It is free at time.com/newsletters. #### Does TIME have a culture newsletter? Yes. Worth Your Time is TIME's culture newsletter, published weekly. #### Who writes TIME's culture recommendations? Culture editor Eliza Berman writes Worth Your Time, drawing on TIME's critics and culture desk. #### Is Worth Your Time free? Yes. It is a free newsletter available at time.com/newsletters. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-worth-2026q3/newsletters?i=829233be-eb0e-4b1d-9a3e-0a5adef6c3fc&cr=time-nl-worth-2026q3-v1) ## 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. ## Transcript People will look at you and they'll try and define you. Whether you're a woman. Whether you're young. They'll try and cabin off what you are able to do. People can only do that if you let them. And so, I always viewed my job as defining myself. If we are in a meeting, we're there for a reason Not to just sit there and absorb. If you are only there not speaking, you kind of create the impression that you are not prepared to be there. You need to participate and you need to know what you're talking about . >> You can ask a man to do a job that he's never been qualified to do, and he will raise his hand and say, absolutely, I will do that job. Women always say, I'm not sure if I'm ready yet, I need more experience. I don't necessarily know there's anything wrong with being more cautious, and careful. I mean why have we come to decide that being rash, and overly aggressive should be the way we are, but we should also know that we're not going to feel any wiser or any more ready In ten years than we did ten years ago. So we might just well just leap. There is a lot of perception of my gush, its really hard because of the gender. What are you gonna do about that ?. Just not do it ?. If you wanna do something you just do it and then hope that people catch up to you. For girls that are gonna be playing little league anything could happen. You can be up by ten runs and you could lose the game, so stay focussed, make sure you play as a team, and hopefully you hit a home run, because no girl has ever hit a home run. And I'll be cheering for you. You'll never make everyone happy, so you just have to be exactly who it is that you are and at least know that you've been true to yourself. It's about attitude, aptitude and opportunity. Who knew I would be here? But it all started with folks that thought I had a good attitude. They put me in places that challenged me and then provided me opportunities because I met and exceeded the standard . >> You often don't realize, people want you to succeed. And they often have very good solutions both practical and in terms of thinking of opportunities for you. And the other thing is I think it's not too bad. To have pure to great intensity doing one thing or the other. Meryl Streep once said every successful woman's life has its ebbs and flows. Know your power. Know the power of your intellect, of your values and your commitment, the courage you have. And don't let anybody trivialize How you have spent your years. All of them have contributed to making a very unique and special person just take joy. Don't let anyone discourage you from that thing that you love the most. It's more about making life Them making a living. That's what matters. [ MUSIC ] ```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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